Black Order Academy
by Sailorstar165
Summary: Allen is an Exorcist at the famous Black Order Academy. You'd think he'd have enough trouble with school life and Akuma Academy, but his personal life has to add on to the stress. Can Allen survive the school year? AllenxLenalee. AU
1. First Day

**Chapter 1: First Day**

Allen dashed through the crowded streets, cursing himself quietly as he ran. His first day of school, and he was going to late! If it weren't for Timcanpy, who was clinging to his head, he'd have slept through the entire morning.

People stared and whispered as he passed in his rush. Allen didn't have time to feel self conscious about his snow white hair or the large scar over his left eye. _Why me?_ Allen thought as he passed a small café. He hadn't had time to eat breakfast, and he was starving.

He slowed at last to catch his breath. "Just... in time..." he breathed heavily. He heard some giggling and looked around.

Just outside of the Black Order Academy stood a gaggle of girls, each whispering to each other and pointing right at him. Allen felt himself blushing, knowing they were laughing at his hair. Still, he walked forward, trying to ignore everyone.

All the people around were wearing tan uniforms, the men wearing suits and the women wearing blazers. Both types of uniforms had a large silver rose cross embroidered on the jackets. Allen looked down on his own clothes, a simple vest over a plain white long-sleeved shirt. He really stood out.

_WHAM!_ Allen fell back. "Ah! Sorry!" he said quickly. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

The person he'd run into was tall, wearing a black coat with the silver rose cross embroidered onto it. The man was much taller than Allen and glared coldly with his dark eyes. His long, raven-colored hair was pulled back.

"You'd better be sorry!" said the man next to the tall one. He also wore a black jacket, but his had a hood with a bell attached to the end. "Getting lost and bumping into Kanda! Man, you must be the most unlucky kid ever!"

A young girl with a cascade of blond hair tapped both of them on their shoulders. "Daisya, Kanda, the bell will ring in twenty seconds and counting," she said, with a sweet smile. "Please get to class."

"All right, Lala!" Daisya said, pushing Kanda toward the huge building. "We'll hurry up."

The girl frowned after them, and turned back to Allen. "You must be Allen Walker," she said, offering a hand to stand up. Allen gratefully took it. "I'm Lala, the doll in charge of musical instruments and new students." She signaled for him to follow her into the building. "This way, please."

The hallways for the school were crowded with students running to their classes since the first bell had rung. They all parted for Lala, and unlike when he'd arrived, most didn't stare at Allen. There were a few people here and there wearing a black uniform, but the majority were in tan. Confused, he asked Lala.

"The ones in tan are the 'Finder' class students—they're the regular everyday students. The ones in black are the 'Exorcist' class students—the more talented students, like yourself."

Allen froze. "I'm an Exorcist class student?"

"Exorcist for short, but yes," Lala said with a nod. "Didn't anybody tell you?"

"No," replied Allen, shaking his head. "I only got a letter in the mail from someone named Komui Lee that I was accepted."

Lala sighed. "That would be the principal. He's a bit forgetful. Speaking of principal," she said, stopping in front of a door. She opened it and poked her head in. "65, is Komui in?"

The ghost thing with the number 65 on his head looked up from the papers he'd been sorting. "He went out for something, but should be back soon. Is that the new Exorcist? He should meet Hevlaska, since Komui's not here yet."

Allen entered after Lala. The office was warm, and the strong scent of coffee hung in the air. Confused, Allen glanced around for the another person. There was no one else in the office besides himself, Lala, and '65'. There were a few doors, though, and he figured she had to be through one of them.

Lala walked toward the closest one. "This way, Allen Walker."

The room inside was huge and dark. They were standing on a metal balcony that overlooked what seemed to be a large, bottomless pit. A girl not much older than Allen stood on the edge, leaning on the rail. She turned when Lala shut the door, revealing her black coat and rose cross. Unlike the other students, she wore a short skirt and knee-high black boots.

"Are you Hevlaska?" Allen asked, surprised. He'd been thinking Hevlaska was a teacher or a secretary, not a student.

The girl giggled. "No, of course not! My name is Lenalee Lee, the principal's younger sister. You must be Allen Walker, then."

"You can just call me Allen," he said, a little embarrassed. Everyone at this school seemed to be very formal.

The girl turned back to the emptiness. "You can call me Lenalee, then. Hevlaska! The new student's here!"

A light shone from below, and a huge monster appeared. Allen almost fell backward at the site of the giant, glowing white being.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Walker," said the creature. She smiled sweetly. "I am Hevlaska, the counselor at Black Order Academy."

Lenalee took Allen's arm and led him closer to the creature. "I know what you're thinking already," she said, her smile still bright. "Hevlaska's not human, but she's not a monster either."

A ghostly, hand-like appendage appeared before Allen. Nervously, Allen took Hevlaska's hand and shook it. The hand disappeared and Hevlaska said, "Komui's returned. He should get measured for his uniform."

Lala opened the door and ushered Allen out of the room. Standing in the room was a tall man with dark purple hair and a strange white hat. He was wearing a white lab coat with the silver cross. "Does everything in this school have that cross?" Allen asked.

The man, Komui, grinned and shifted his glasses higher up his nose. "That's correct. Black Order Academy's symbol is a rose cross." He turned to a shorter man with messy blond hair who was also wearing a lab coat. "Reever, get his measurements for his uniform. I'm going to get coffee."

"Oh no you don't!" Reever shouted, grabbing the back of Komui's collar. "I have to get to a class, remember? You have time! I just came to make sure I didn't have to drag you here again like every other Monday!" Grumbling to himself, Reever let go of Komui and trudged out of the room.

"Wasn't he rude," Komui commented. Lala, 65, and Lenalee all rolled their eyes, but didn't reply. "65! You don't seem busy."

65 was obviously busy organizing something, but put it down to retrieve some measuring tape from a draw behind the desk. He tossed another to Lala, and they set to work measuring Allen for his uniform.

"Anything in particular you'd like on your uniform?" 65 inquried as he measured Allen's arm for sleeves. "The only requirements are that the uniform is black and has a rose cross. The style is up to you."

"Well..." Allen thought for a moment. "Could I have a hood and wear gloves?"

"Certainly," Lala replied. "Daisya has a hood. Just don't wear it up during class."

"Why gloves?" 65 asked, measuring Allen's shoulders.

Allen tensed up, and said, "I just... like gloves. That's all."

"That should be all," Komui said, leaning on his desk. His hand brushed some of the multitudes of paper strewn about, which he picked up. "Oh! Here's your schedule, Allen. Lenalee, you'll be showing him around the school for the day. All of your tardies will be excused."

Lenalee nodded and took Allen's hand. "Let's hurry. You shouldn't be late your first day." She rushed out with Allen in tow. "So what's your first class, Allen?"

Allen looked at the crumpled paper in his hand. "Chemistry," he replied. "It says my teacher is Mr. Reever."

Lenalee smiled. "Then we have first period together. How lucky!"

"Um... Could you let go of my hand?" Allen inquired, embarrassed.

She turned to him, perplexed for a moment, and then she realized that she was, in fact, holding his hand. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she said, letting go. "I didn't realize I was doing it!" She pointed to the room they stood before. "This is the Chemistry lab," she said quickly.

A student with bright red hair ran straight into Allen. "Whoops! Sorry!" he said, grinning. He went around Allen and walked into the room.

"Lavi! You're late!" shouted Reever, irritated.

"Sorry Teach!" Lavi replied, sitting down in his desk. "They're late too!"

Allen glanced around and saw all eyes on him. Lenalee gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder and moved past him to her seat a few desks away.

"Class, we have a new student," Reever said, gesturing for Allen to come to the front of the room. "Tell the class a little about yourself."

Allen quickly introduced himself, but was at a loss of words as to what to say otherwise. He could feel everyone's eyes on his scar, and it took all his control not to cover it with his hand. Reever nudged him to say more, but he was frozen.

"Well, do we have any questions for Allen?" Reever asked the class.

Lavi raised his hand. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," Allen replied.

Other people, mostly Finders, asked questions as well. No one asked about the scar, but he knew everyone was curious and just being polite. He'd be bombarded by questions when out of the teacher's earshot.

He sat down at the desk Reever pointed out. No sooner had he sat down did the Finders around him turn and ask about his hair and scar. He wished he could just disappear.

"Leave him alone," Lenalee said quietly from a few desks away. All the Finders looked at her and fell silent as Reever started the lesson. It would be a very long day...

* * *

No, I'm not dead. Yes, it'll get better. Promise.


	2. End of a Very Long Day

**Chapter 2: End of a Very Long Day**

At last, fifth period rolled around. Allen walked into the cafeteria, but then sighed as he realized he had no money for lunch. Again.

"Over here, Allen!" called Lenalee, waving him over to a table.

Allen sat down, and glanced at the other people sitting there. He recognized Lavi from his Chemistry class. His heart sank when he saw Lavi chatting excitedly with Kanda. Well, _to_ is a better word, since Kanda didn't seem to be responding in the least.

The tables were circular, with four people sitting at one. Glancing around the cafeteria, it was pretty obvious that Exorcist students didn't really hang around the Finders.

"So how were your classes after Chemistry?" Lenalee asked politely.

Allen thought for a moment. "Awkward," he replied. Yeeger, the English teacher, had been nice, but his classmates had just kept watching him. "Everyone just kept staring in English second period, and everyone kept asking my about..." he trailed off and willed himself not to touch the scar on his face. "Anyway, that was weird."

"How was fourth period Ceramics?" Lavi asked. "Tiedoll's pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Allen admitted. That was the only class no one had commented on how strange he looked. Tiedoll was having the time of his life explaining how to work with the clay and managed to get it all over himself.

"Gotta love the guy. He's better at drawing than clay, but he's entertaining." Lavi grinned as he bit into his hamburger. Allen couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" Lenalee asked, eating a spoonful of fried rice from her packed lunch.

"I forgot my lunch at home," Allen lied. He had no money and needed desperately to find a job to afford to eat.

"Doesn't matter!" Lavi laughed. "Exorcists get free lunch! It's one of the perks for being a top student."

Lenalee frowned. "Komui forgot to tell you, didn't he?" She sighed when Allen nodded. "Jerry's the head of the cafeteria. Just tell him your the new student."

"You're so handsome!" Jerry cried when Allen reached the lunch line. "What can I get you, Mr. New Student?"

The Finders around Allen giggled. "Um... Can I get pizza and fries?"

"But of course!" Jerry said, happily putting together Allen's order. "Here you go!"

Allen thanked him quickly, conscious of all the Finders in the area laughing. He grabbed a drink and told the cashier he was the new Exorcist, who nodded as he walked away.

"Jerry embarrass you?" Lavi inquired as Allen sat down with his food. "He does that to all the newbies."

Lunch went relatively smoothly until near the end. Lavi finally noticed the glove Allen was wearing over his left hand. "What's the glove for?" he asked.

"Nothing," Allen replied quickly. The response must have been too quick, for Lavi was already reaching over to grab Allen's arm.

"Can't be nothing!" Lavi said, successfully catching Allen. "I wanna see it! Come on!"

Allen tried to pull his hand away. "NO!"

Everyone in the lunchroom turned to see the spectacle. Allen's face was burning as he tried unsuccessfully to pull away from the redheaded Senior. Lavi, with a triumphant yell, pulled off Allen's glove and froze.

Allen's hand was a disgusting blood red color and slightly deformed. Only Lavi, Lenalee, and Kanda saw it, thankfully. All other students only saw Allen snatch the glove with his good hand, shove it back onto his left, and run out of the room with Timcanpy flying after.

"Allen!" Lenalee called after him. She shot Lavi a dark glare, and then chased after Allen. She found him sitting just outside the office, arms folded over his knees and head buried. "Are you okay?"

Without bothering to look up, Allen gave a muffled response. "I'll be fine, I think. It's not the first time."

With a smile, Lenalee sat next to Allen. "That explains why you wanted gloves," she said, voice even. "Besides, no one saw besides Lavi, Kanda, and me. Lavi already knows he's in hot water, and Kanda probably doesn't care that your arm's different."

Finally Allen looked up. His face was streaked with tears, but he didn't seem to have been crying very hard. "You're sure no one else saw?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Timcanpy settled on his head.

"Possitive," Lenalee replied with a smile. "Um... Could I ask what happened to your arm?"

"It's been like that since I was little," Allen replied meekly. "I've had a pretty hard time with it, too. I had to work a lot to be able to move it the right way." He stared at his gloved hand, as if his stare could fix what was wrong with it.

Lenalee put a hand on Allen's shoulder. "If something's on your mind, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Shaking his head, Allen stood up. "It's all right. You don't have to listen to my problems."

Just then, the door banged open, hitting Allen in the face. "Lenalee! What are you doing out here?" Komui asked. It took him a few moments to realize Allen was behind the door. "Oh, Allen! I didn't see you there."

"Yes you did!" Lenalee snapped at him. "You hit him with the door on purpose! Admit it!"

Komui frowned. "But I don't want anyone taking my cute little sister away from me..." he muttered innocently.

Lenalee glared darkly and took Allen by the arm. They didn't go back to the cafeteria, though. Instead, she took him to an empty room and sighed. "I've got problems too, you know," she said calmly. "My brother definitely has a sister complex." Lenalee smiled. "I bet I've got it worst than you."

"No you don't," Allen replied, rubbing his nose where the door had hit him. "I'd rather have a brother with a complex."

She sat down at one of the tables and signaled for Allen to do the same. "Allen, I want to be your friend. You can trust me with whatever's wrong, okay? Do you honestly think I'd ditch you just because of your arm?"

"I guess not," Allen replied, defeated. "All right, I'll tell you, but don't repeat it to anyone else. It's a... bit private."

"Cross my heart," Lenalee promised motioning her finger across her chest.

"My arm's been like this since I was born," he admitted. "I was abandoned at birth and adopted by a man named Mana Walker. I lived with my adopted father until a little over three years ago, when he died in an accident." Allen's voice broke. He felt tears coming into his eyes, but held them back firmly. Mana had been dead for years. He was used to not having him around now.

Lenalee hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Allen. If it makes you feel better, I don't have parents either. They were killed by a murderer years ago while Komui and I lived in China. We moved here, and Komui started working at this school."

He felt his cheeks burning. He'd never been hugged by a girl—EVER. He didn't want to offend her by pulling away, but it was too new.

Lenalee released him. "Sorry," she said, blushing when she saw he was blushing. "I have the tendency to hug people. I made you uncomfortable, didn't I?"

"I-it's okay!" Allen stuttered, feeling more embarrassed now that Lenalee was too.

An awkward silence fell upon the empty room, and then Lenalee asked to break the silence, "Are you staying with family now?"

Allen almost laughed. "I'm not sure if Mana had any family. I'm living with General Cross. He's a nightmare in the form of a human being!"

"Eh? General Cross?!" Lenalee said, surprised.

Allen nodded, confused.

"Come with me!" She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him out of the room. They reached a long wall with engravings in gold. "The people listed here are all the top students in their year at Black Order Academy. General Cross is," she searched the wall, "right here." She pointed at one name in curly letters.

Surprised, Allen reread the name. The year was right for Cross's graduation. "He was the top student?"

Lenalee nodded. "He's a legend around the school," she said. "Top of his class and accepted into the army. He was so good, he became the youngest general in the military ever. He was injured in training, so he couldn't continue his military career."

"We're thinking of the same Cross, right?" Allen asked, still staring at the name. "The person I'm living with his a spendthrift who takes all the money I earn and goes out with women."

It was Lenalee's turn to be confused. "I've never heard of another General Cross, though," she said. "Maybe we are thinking of different people."

Just then the bell rang. "You have Phys. Ed. next, right?" Lenalee asked as the halls filled up. "It's warm today, so we're outside. Follow me!" She turned.

"What's Komui thinking?" the teacher complained when Lenalee and Allen had arrived. The man was scary looking. "He's put in a request that Allen Walker be permitted to wear long sleeves and gloves for class!"

Lenalee whispered something in the man's ear. "That's why, Mr. Zocalo."

The man grunted unhappily, but didn't complain further about what Allen would wear. "We don't have a Physical Education uniform for you, yet," he said gruffly, "but we're only doing some physical testing today. Get in line for the sit-and-reach box."

Lenalee went to the locker rooms, and Allen was left to stand in line. Lavi waved him over. "Hey, sorry about earlier," he whispered. "I was a real jerk and should have thought before I did that."

"No problem," Allen replied. "Can I ask what the eye patch is for?"

Lavi grinned. "Nope! Top Secret!"

"You two!" Zocalo barked. "If you have time to chat, you have time to take the test! Walker! Get over here!"

Allen did as he was told. "Do we take off our shoes for this?" he asked, remembering the other students. Some of the people behind him snickered. Zocalo nodded, and Allen did as he was told. Calmly, he reached as far as he could.

Everyone's jaw dropped. Allen had pushed the slide to the maximum for the box and was reaching beyond it.

"What?" Allen asked, confused. Then he remembered that no normal person could reach that far and stood, his face turning crimson.

"That was amazing!" Lenalee said excitedly at the end of class.

"It was nothing, really," Allen said, blushing again. He seemed to be blushing a lot this first day. "I used to be a clown when I was little, so I'm pretty flexible."

"You're not in any clubs, right?" Lenalee said, suddenly. "Could you maybe join the Performance Club? We could always use more guys!"

Allen shook his head. "I would, but I need to find a part time job. If I don't, I won't have money to eat."

"How about this? If you join the club, I'll help you get a job at the local café I work at," Lenalee suggested. "The owner's really nice, so I'm sure she'll let you have a job."

The bell rang, and the two had to rush to their next class. Allen had History with someone called _Bookman_, and wasn't looking forward to it.

"You're the new student?" the short man in Chinese clothing at the front of the class asked when Allen entered. He had long white hair pulled up into a ponytail on the top of his head. Large black rings of makeup surrounded his eyes, giving him the look of a—

"Sorry I'm late, Panda!" Lavi called from behind Allen. "I was in the bathroom."

The teacher frowned. "You have a detention and dish washing duty today for being late and calling me that," he said, turning back to the board. "Mr. Walker, please take your seat next to Toma."

Allen glanced around for the seat Bookman was referring to and saw Finder boy signaling to the empty desk. Lavi was on his other side. In front of Lavi was Kanda.

"I took all the History classes except the required one," Lavi explained before Allen could ask about the two Seniors. "Kanda just didn't care about this requirement and ignored it until now. Besides," he added, grabbing Kanda's hair. "I can braid it all pretty!"

Bookman turned to the board, ignoring the class for a moment as Kanda hit Lavi. "Now then, let us begin."

Time seemed to speed up and the bell rang. Allen stood and waited by the door until he saw Lenalee, like with every other period. Bookman approached and said, "You will probably be called down to the office for your uniform next period." He gave a little bow to Lenalee as she approached.

"Let's get going," she panted. As they walked, she explained that she had just run from the other side of the building and was apologizing fiercely for being late. "Just a warning," she whispered before Allen entered his next class. "Miss Cloud-Nine is a bit... odd. I don't think you would, but just be sure not to say anything about her face."

Allen nodded and entered the room. The teacher was facing the chalkboard, writing some math problems. Next to her on her desk sat a monkey, chattering excitedly as it munched on a peach. Most of the class turned to look at Allen when he entered.

"Hey, the new kid's scar really is weirder than Cloud-Nine's!" a Finder cried. He then covered his mouth with both hands and looked at Cloud-Nine in horror.

The woman stopped writing but didn't turn around. "Walker, please sit down," she said. "Lao Jimin, take care of the problem." Allen did as he was told.

Meanwhile, the monkey hopped off the desk and scampered over to the Finder who had made the comment. It jumped on the back of his chair and bopped the boy on the head with a squeaky hammer. It then made its way back to Cloud-Nine.

"Now then," Cloud-Nine said, turning for the first time to the class. Her face had a large, nasty burn on it. No wonder Lenalee had warned Allen not to say anything. "Please take out your notebooks. We will be—What do you need, Fo?" she asked someone at the door.

The girl at the door had short hair covered by a hat. She was wearing long sleeves that swallowed her hands, tall boots, and short shorts. She didn't seem like a student. "I'm here to get Allen Walker. Sorry if I interrupted anything."

Cloud-Nine nodded to Allen and turned back to the board. "You'll have to catch up tomorrow."

"She says that," Fo said as she led him down the hall, "but this is only the third week of school. She hasn't gotten into anything really important yet. Review mostly." She opened the door to the office and ushered Allen inside. "Bak! I brought—" she stopped mid sentence. "Bak, go home."

The man sitting at the desk was rushing through a bunch of a papers and digging through drawers in a panic. He was covered in hives. "I'm fine," he said, still digging through the things on his desk.

"Komui's got you stressed out again. Don't deny the hives," Fo said, pulling him up by the elbows and pushing him out of the room. "I can handle getting the new kid his uniform. Go home!" With a final heave, he was out the door. Fo slammed the it behind him.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said as she ambled behind his desk. She handed Allen a bag. "Try on the uniform in the bathroom in the back of the office. We have to see if it fits properly."

Allen did as he was told. He came out of the bathroom wearing a black jacket like the others wore and his worn out gloves were replaced with clean ones.

"They really outdid themselves this time," Fo commented upon seeing Allen's uniform. "Does it fit okay? Nothing too tight?"

No sooner had Allen nodded and thanked Fo did the bell ring, signaling the end of the day. As soon as Allen left the safety of the office, he was swept away with the students rushing to get out of school.

Someone grabbed Allen's arm and pulled him to the side with lockers. "You gotta be careful Allen," Lenalee said with a laugh. "This place is a zoo once that bell rings. Anyway, did you consider my offer? Join the performance club and I'll get you a really good job!"

Allen had given it some thought and agreed. "Great!" Lenalee said, smiling. "Our meeting's tomorrow, so I'll take you to the café first!"

* * *

Allen sighed as he opened the door to his house. "General Cross?" he called into the gloom. He flipped on a switch, hardly phased by the lack of response. Cross must have gone out to flirt with more women, and Allen was sadly used to it.

Allen threw a sandwich together, knowing Cross wouldn't be home for hours and wouldn't be hungry. Allen, on the other hand, was on his own for dinner. Munching on his sandwich, Allen wandered up the stairs to his room. He closed the door behind him and flopped down onto his bed. It was a long day, and he was tired. Smiling in spite of him self, Allen picked up the picture frame from his bed stand and said to the photo inside, "Mana, I think I'm really going to like it here."

* * *

That's the end of this chapter! Sorry for the delay! I hope you all liked the chapter (my favorite part was Lao Jimin with the hammer.) I'd like to thank my friend Mei-chan and Lavi from Gaia Online for helping me with that name.

See you all again soon!


	3. Balancing Act

**Chapter 3: Balancing Act**

Allen yawned as he followed Lenalee to the gymnasium for Performance Club. He had promised her that he was going to join, and he wasn't about to go back on that promise. Despite being exhausted from the school day and yet more questions from various students about his scar and hair, he knew that he not only had to go to the club, but his new part-time job after. Still, things could be worse. He could be unemployed and broke.

"Tired?" Lenalee asked as they stopped in front of the gym doors. "It's your second day, after all. If you want to skip work, I'm sure Anita won't mind."

Anita was the owner of the café Allen had just been hired at. Allen shook his head. "No, I'll go to work. I am a new employee, after all."

Lenalee smiled. "If you're sure." She pushed open the doors. "Hey guys! I found someone who'd like to join!"

The girls glanced up from their practicing. All of them were wearing leotards of various colors and dance shoes. One had a ribbon on a baton that she'd been practicing with moments before, but the rest seemed to simply be warming up. The closest—the girl with the baton and ribbon—came over and inspected Allen closely.

"He doesn't look like much, does he?" the girl muttered as she looked Allen up and down. Well, more down. She was a head taller than he was. "Well, can't tell much by height, can we? What's your specialty?"

Allen blinked, surprised by her curtness. "My what?"

"Specialty. What you're good at. Do you dance? Gymnastics? What are you good at performing-wise?"

"Gymnastics, I guess..." Allen said, unsure. He'd been a clown as a kid, but he wasn't sure what she meant. "I used to be a clown when I was little as part of a traveling performance act."

One of the girls in the back perked up. "Ooo! A professional!" she said with a grin. She bounced up to them, her pigtails springing with each step. "Akuma High doesn't stand a ghost of a chance this year! So, you juggle?"

Allen nodded. "I can juggle, do any kind of flip you can name, and handstands."

The rest of the group crowded around. "Then show us," the first girl said. "Anything you want. Auditions were held for the club before you came to this school, so it's really a formality that you have to show us some of your skills."

Allen nodded, and everyone gave him some space. He did a few simple tricks, such as walking on his hands, doing back flips, and even a handspring. When he'd finished his little performance, he awaited the verdict.

The girl with the ribbon was the first to applaud. "Pretty good, but it seems you're a bit rusty. A little practice will do you good. We'll ask Emma to put a routine together for you. She's not here yet, or I'd have you talk to her yourself. Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name's Jazz, and I do rhythmic gymnastics as part of the team.**1**"

Allen bowed politely. "I'll try my best. Thank you for allowing me to join the club."

Jazz waved off the thanks. She turned to the rest of the club, including Lenalee. "Hey, thinking of it, do you know where the other two are? Emma had to help one of the teachers, but Lavi..."

"I'm here!" Lavi shouted, bursting through the gym doors. "Didja miss me?"

All the girls rolled their eyes and went back to what they'd been doing before Allen and Lenalee had entered.

Someone tapped Lavi on the shoulder. "Excuse me, if you please," the man said. He was wearing an Exorcist uniform, as was the person who'd followed him in. "Is Allen Walker about?"

All the people in the room gave the man one of those looks—the look you'd give a hobo who hadn't washed in five months. "Lvellie,**2** what do you want?" Jazz asked. "If it's not a life-or-death situation, you'll have to wait until after our club's practice is over for Allen Walker."

"Come now," Lvellie said with a smile that could make little kids cry,**3** "Walker's not a member of your club on the official records yet, so you can't complain if I borrow him for a few minutes. Isn't that right, Howard?" His companion nodded. "We would just like to interview him for the paper as the new student. Innocent enough, isn't it?" Both Exorcists looked to Allen for his permission.**4**

Lenalee and Allen glanced at each other. "Then you won't mind if I come too?" Lenalee inquired.

Lvellie nodded. "Then we have an agreement! Follow us, the News Room's not far from here." The News Room, Allen saw when they arrived, was actually one of the computer rooms that the newspaper club hogged every week after school.**5** There was a table and chairs near the edge, where Lvellie invited them to sit.

Howard pulled out a notepad and pen. "So, shall we get started?" Lvellie stated more than asked. "Allen Walker, what were your thoughts when you were accepted to this school?"

"I was really confused," Allen admitted. "I had never heard of Black Order Academy before, so of course I hadn't applied, but then I got a letter saying I could come here. My guess is that my guardian sent an application in for me." He was, of course, referring to General Cross, but after Lenalee's reaction to the name, Allen wasn't going to say whom his guardian was.

Howard nodded, signaling to Lvellie he'd jotted it all down and that the interview could continue. "What was your first impression?"

"Everything was really big. I was afraid of getting lost in here." Allen had managed to get lost going to his locker that morning, in fact.

The interview continued. Eventually, Lenalee had to return to the Performance Club, and apologized to Allen for having to leave. "I'll meet you back at the club room, okay?"

Allen nodded, and with that, she left. He turned back to Lvellie. "If that's it, I ought to head back too. I have a part-time job I need to get to."

"Just a few more questions," Lvellie said with a simple smile. "You'd said earlier that your guardian had sent in everything for you to apply. Does that mean the person you're living with isn't your father or mother? What happened to your real family?"

"That's right..." Allen said. "I don't really want to talk about that, though."

"May I ask your real parents' names?" Lvellie inquired, unperturbed and undeterred.

Sighing, Allen replied, "No." He stood to leave.

"Really?" Lvellie said, surprised. Apparently, he was rarely told no. "We were just going to see if maybe your real parents were alumni of this school."

"I doubt it," Allen said with a shrug. Lvellie insisted that it was a possibility, though, and so Allen finally gave in so that he could rejoin Lenalee. They'd have to leave soon for their job. "His name was Mana Walker," Allen said at last. He opened the door and walked back to where Lenalee was.

"Finally," Lvellie muttered, fingering something in his pocket. He retrieved a photo**6** and grinned. "I thought I'd have to use my blackmail here." The picture contained the scene from the day before, where Lavi had pulled off Allen's glove. He smiled a smile that could curdle milk. "So, were we right in our thinking, Howard?"

Howard flipped through his notepad. "You were right about his being related to Mana Walker. Who could have known that he was Walker's father, though? I would have guessed an uncle of some sort. They look nothing alike."**8**

Lvellie shrugged. "So, how soon can this article be put out?"

"It'll be out and through the school by next week, sir."

"Excellent."

* * *

Meanwhile, Allen and Lenalee were walking to the Silver Flower Teahouse, the café they worked at. As soon as they'd arrived, Anita was out the door. She smiled when she saw them. "Oh, Lenalee and..." she paused a moment, trying to recall his name, "Allen! Sorry, but you guys have to listen to Mahoja today. I have a date I can't be late for. Oh, and don't let Mahoja forget! I left something for Allen with her. Wish me luck!" She winked and strolled off. Most of the men on the street dropped what they were doing to watch her walk past.

Inside, Mahoja was already seating customers. Some were Finders still in uniform, and a few Allen recognized from brief passing in the halls. Many of the others, though, were wearing maroon blazers or jackets with a black star over their chests as a kind of school crest. The two kinds of people seemed separated. Those of Black Order Academy were on one side of the small restaurant, while the people in maroon were on the other.

"Oh, good! You're here," Mahoja said, nodding to the back. "Get changed into your serving uniforms and start serving. Allen, you get those tables over there." She gestured to the group of people in the back.

The afternoon went without many problems. Allen had waited tables among other things when Cross caused problems. His shift ended around seven, as did Lenalee's. Before both left, Mahoja stopped Allen.

"Miss Anita asked me to give you this," Mahoja said, handing him a bag with a few warm containers **7 **in it. "She said you looked half-starved and that you should eat more."

"Thank you very much!" said Allen excitedly. He bowed. "Thank Miss Anita for me, too."

Lenalee smiled as they walked out of the small restaurant. "I told you Miss Anita was nice," she said as she waved. "See you tomorrow, Allen."

Allen waved back, but she'd already turned around and was running to her house. Timcanpy landed on Allen's shoulder. "I think," whispered Allen, his face turning a slightly pink, which caused Timcanpy to glance up at him, "I like it here more and more."

* * *

**1. **I'm not sure if rhythmic gymnastics existed during the late 19th century, but this is -Man. Obviously, there weren't robots (like Lala), phones everywhere, or demons running around. Just go with it, k?

**2. **Since I don't know the official name for this guy as of yet, bear with me. When I get hold of the official translation, I will change it, but for now, I'm using the first translation of his name I could find. If there's one that's a more commonly used, please tell me. Same with Howard Link. (Edit: addenza told me his real name, so I fixed it)

**3. **You can tell my feelings about this guy from this description.

**4. **I realize that they aren't Exorcists in the DGM manga, but they're not Finders either. Since "Exorcists" in this fic are the upper-level students, they fall more under that category than Finder.

**5. **Once again, computers do exist in DGM. Just go with it. XD

**6. **(_points at notes_** 1** _and_ **5**)

**7. **(_points to above note_)

**8. **This was pointed our by a friend after I'd posted it and finished the chapter (that's why it was tacked on to the end like this...), but I do realize that Mana is Allen's adopted father. Notice Howard Link comments that they look nothing alike. It will become known to the general public of characters that Mana is Allen's adopted father soon enough.

To Mei-chan, my wonderful friend on Gaia, I'm sorry that it's turning into Allen X Lenalee fic, but I just like that pairing.

To everyone else (and Mei-chan too) thank you for reading. I apologize for the long wait in between chapters, but I've been super busy, what with my trip to Japan and the Summer Reading homework I'm putting off at the moment. Hope to see ya again next chapter!


	4. Noah

**Chapter 4: Noah**

Allen walked into the Black Order Academy. He'd been in the school about a week and he was really starting to enjoy his time in the school. Everyone there was nice, and everyone finally had stopped asking about his hair and scar. He'd become "normal" as far as he was concerned. He no longer stood out.

Or so he'd thought when he came this morning.

"Good morning!" he called as he walking in to the halls. Normally, all the Finders and Exorcists would yell "Good morning" back. Today was different though. They all stared, making Allen feel uncomfortable. Was he being too polite?**1** He walked past everyone, embarrassed. Allen didn't notice the glares he received, nor did he hear the whispers.

Allen managed to get to his locker and opened it. "What the?!" he cried, jumping back. A cascade of notes fell out and scattered across the ground. Confused, Allen picked one up.

_Go back to the Akuma!_ it read. _Traitor Exorcist!_ read another. Allen blinked. What was going on?

"Yo!" Lavi said, slapping Allen on the back. "Got fangirls or somethin'?" He knelt down with Allen and started picking up the papers. He read a few. "Ouch... Wonder what this is all about," he said, picking up and reading a few more. He grimaced at a particularly nasty one. He shrugged and threw them in the nearby trash can. "Can't litter the halls, now can we?"

"Lavi, what's going on?" Allen asked. He looked around at the faces of all the students around him. All the stares... Allen glanced away, back to Lavi. They weren't stares; they were glares.

Lavi shrugged. "Dunno. Come on, let's get to Chemistry before we're late."

Allen nodded. Maybe he was imagining everything. He _**HOPED**_ he was imagining everything, at least. If not, Allen hoped things would blow over by the end of Chemistry.

As Allen and Lavi hiked up the stairs, they started talking about what they'd done over their weekend. Lavi had been doing "secret" things with Bookman and wouldn't go into detail about what these secret things were. "Bookman things," Lavi finally said with a shrug.

Allen, on the other hand, had been working. When he wasn't working, he was exploring the city. He hadn't been there very long, and most of his time was spent either at school or at work.

They reached the top of the staircase and were walking down the hall when a Finder shoved between them in his rush to get to a class. Allen was pushed aside and lost his balance.

"Allen!" Lavi cried. He ran over to his friend, just in time to miss grabbing his hand as he fell out the open window. "AAAALLLEEEENNNN!!" he shouted.

"I'm okay!" Allen called up. He'd grabbed onto a tree branch not far down from the window. His one arm was bleeding from a gash he'd received as he'd fallen through the branches. He pulled himself up with the other and rubbed his shoulder. It hurt, but it didn't seem like he'd broken or sprained anything.

Sighing, Allen looked down. All the branches farther down had been cut so as to prevent people from climbing up easily. Under normal circumstances, Allen could have gotten down, but not without making his injury worse. "I can't really climb down, though. Get a teacher or someone to bring a ladder."

Lavi nodded and disappeared. He reappeared below the tree a few minutes later with Zocalo carrying a ladder. "Up there! Think you can get to him."

Zocalo rolled his eyes. "Of course I can reach him up there," he said gruffly. He climbed up the ladder with ease. He grabbed Allen under one arm and climbed back down, still without any problem.

"Allen! Are you okay?" Komui asked.

"No, the kid's just bleeding," Zocalo replied sarcastically. "Get to the infirmary."

Allen nodded and let Lavi lead him through the Order. Everyone was already in class, so there was no need to worry about people getting in the way or having to explain what had caused Allen's wound.

When they reached the infirmary, the woman didn't glance up. "What's wrong? Stomach ache? Head ache?" She seemed used to students coming in complaining about fake illnesses more than anything else.

"We'll need bandages," Lavi said, "lots of them."

The nurse looked up, and her jaw dropped. "Oh dear!" she cried, running to a drawer. She took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cloth as well as bandages.

Allen didn't cringe even as she cleaned the wound. He was used to pain, especially with all the things Cross had brought upon him. Lavi,seeing that he was all right, left for class.

Lala entered and bowed politely to the nurse. "Allen," she said, "Komui wants to speak with you. If you're all bandaged up, I'll take you to the principal's office."

Allen nodded, and they headed off. Lala was stony faced and didn't say a word as they walked through the empty halls. Allen didn't say anything either. His arm was really hurting him at this point, but he'd had worse. He wasn't about to complain.

The office was in an uproar. "How could he publish this?! Lvellie's gone too far this time to simply excuse it!" Allen heard Komui yell, even before the door was opened. All the shouting stopped when Allen walked in.

"Ah, Allen, please sit down," Komui sighed. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "We heard from Lavi about the incident with your locker. We've gotten to the bottom of it, too." He handed Allen the paper in his hand.

It was the school newspaper, the _Rose Cross_. On the front page were two pictures: one of Allen and one of two boys in uniforms with the star crest grinning with their arms around each other's shoulders next to it. The only difference between the symbol in the picture and the ones Allen saw at work was that the black star had a small, white cross on top.**2** The headline read _Allen Walker, the Noah Exorcist_. Allen blinked and scanned the rest of the article.

_Allen Walker, age 15, is a new Exorcist in Black Order Academy. We interviewed him to see how he liked the Academy so far_, he read. The first paragraph or two seemed normal enough. It was just the interview. All it had was that he hadn't known about the academy before he'd been excepted and so on. It was later that the article got gruesome.

_It seems, though, that Walker isn't quite who appears to be. After a little bit of digging, we've discovered that his father, Mana Walker, was a Noah at Akuma High School._**3** Allen didn't want to read on. He figured he wouldn't want to know what else Lvellie had written.

"I apologize, Allen," Komui said, bowing his head. "We'll make sure Lvellie gets punishment for this, as well as the student who pushed you out the window."

"That was an accident," Allen said.

Komui shook his head. "Lavi saw the whole thing. The Finder also admitted to purposely doing it to scare you. He didn't mean for you to fall out the window, but you did and could have gotten an even more serious injury."

Allen felt like he was going to be sick. If he hadn't reacted when he did and grabbed the branch... He shuddered. "What's Akuma High School?" he asked, trying to keep himself from following his current train of thought.

"It's the other school in the area," Komui explained, taking back the newspaper. "Akuma High and Black Order have been rivals since the schools were built. I'm afraid now that this has gotten out, you might be subject to quite a bit of bullying... If you want to leave the school, Allen, I understand."

"No," Allen said. "I want to stay here. I'm sure this will all blow over eventually." He knew that if he left the school, he'd probably have to move again. He'd probably never see Lenalee or Lavi ever again if that happened.

"Then, at least go home for the rest of the day," Komui said. "We need to get a handle on the situation. Besides," he added, "I'm sure your arm's hurting by now. Go home and relax. You should be able to catch up by tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Allen said. He stood and left the building. It didn't take him long to get back to town.

"Hey! An Exorcist's playing hooky!" called a voice. Allen looked over and saw a couple men and a boy sitting playing cards together. The one who'd spoken was tall, with messy dark hair and thick, coke-bottle glasses. He moved his cigarette to the other side of his mouth and grinned. "Care to join us?"

Allen walked over. "I'm not playing hooky," he said. He sat down with them, though. "What about you guys? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Got the day off," the others said. "We're in the public school, so there's some holiday or another."

The younger boy nodded. "It's our school's founding day."

"What about you, though? I know Black Order Academy's open," the man with glasses said. "Going home sick?"

"Sort of," Allen replied. "Playing Poker?"

"Yep. Care to play?"

Grinning, Allen nodded. "Sure, if you don't mind getting beaten. I'll shuffle."

The man with glasses laughed and handed Allen the deck. "Name's Tyki. What about you?"

"Allen Walker," Allen replied, doing tricks with the cards as he shuffled. They didn't notice as he slid a few of the cards in his sleeves for later cheating purposes.

The game started. Tyki grinned at his hand. "Hey, Allen, wanna make a bet? Losers have to buy the winner whatever he wants at the bakery." Tyki nodded to the bakery behind them. The sign read "Kogane Bakery."**4**

Allen smiled. He'd once again skipped breakfast. "All right. You have a deal. Royal Flush." He showed his hand.

Tyki's cigarette fell out of his mouth. "Beginner's luck!" he cried. "Rematch!"

They played a couple hands, and Allen won every single one. Tyki had to laugh. "I'm not sure how you did it, but you won without us catching you cheating. Bravo."**5**

"Takes skill ta cheat us cheaters," one of Tyki's friends said with a smirk. "You're pretty good at it."

Standing, Tyki offered Allen a hand. "Well, a bet's a bet. You get to pick something. Just don't make it too expensive."

Allen nodded. He understood not having a lot of money, living with Cross and all.

The inside of the bakery smelled like fresh bread and cake. It was warm without being too hot, and the entire room was brightly lit. A woman in a pink kimono was putting trays of delicious-looking treats in a display case. She looked up when everyone entered.

"Good morning!" she said. "Rare to see an Exorcist playing hooky—it's normally the Noah who do that." The woman laughed as Allen stared at his feet, blushing. "I'm just kidding around. Don't take it personally."

"So what do you want?" Tyki asked Allen. "Anything you want."

"Oh, I see," the woman said with a smirk. "You lost a bet, Tyki-pon! That's rare for you. Did you throw the game on purpose?"

"Kid's good at cards," Tyki replied with a shrug.

Allen pointed out a bun filled with strawberry jam. "Anyone else want anything?" the woman asked. The others all pointed out different jam buns, too. "So, what's your name?" she asked Allen as she took the money from Tyki. "I've never seen you around before."

Allen introduced himself. The woman smiled. "Nice to meet you, Allen-kun.**6** My name's Chomesuke Sachiko."**7**

"Chomesuke Sachiko?" Allen said, surprised. The name sounded foreign.

"Yep," she replied. "I'm Japanese, so Chomesuke's my family name. You can call me Chomesuke-san if you want, though. Everyone else does. So, then, can I ask why you're skipping school, Allen-kun?"

"I'm not skipping," Allen replied, accepting his strawberry bun from Tyki. "I was sent home early."

"So you got in trouble," Tyki teased. "Way to go!"

"I didn't do anything!" Allen said.

"Then what happened?"

Before Allen could stop himself, he said, "Because I'm apparently related to someone who went to Akuma High."

Chomesuke frowned. "That's rough. I feel for ya. Those two schools have been goin' at it since I was in school." She sighed. "It'll blow over eventually. I transferred to Black Order Academy from Akuma high junior year. Tough it out until a new student comes. They'll forget all about you then."

"Really?" This surprised Allen. After everything that happened that morning, they'd just forget about him? Somehow, he doubted it.

"Well, there are always those that'll be stupid and hold a grudge, but most will move on to the next new kid, 'specially if the new kid's an Exorcist." Chomesuke reached into the display case and retrieved a slice of cheesecake with a strawberry on top. "Here," she said. When Allen refused the offer, she added, "Think of it as a 'Feel Better' gift. You don't think I noticed your sleeve?"

Allen blinked and looked at his coat's sleeve. There was a tear where the gash was, which was pinned closed until it could be fixed tomorrow, and the bandages underneath were a dull red from the bleeding. He hadn't realized it was still bleeding.

Chomesuke put it in a small box and set it on the counter. She lifted up the separator that was next to the register and helped Allen steady himself. "You don't look to hot, Allen-kun. Sit down for a few minutes."

Nodding, Allen let Chomesuke lead him to a chair. The room was spinning a bit, but it wasn't too bad. A few minutes and he'd feel better. Chomesuke left and returned with some water for him.

"Lemme guess, that's why you were sent home," she said. "Want me to call your folks to get you?"

Allen shook his head, and the room started becoming hazy. He hadn't lost that much blood, had he? The injury throbbed painfully. Cross wouldn't be home, and even if he was, he probably wouldn't care.

"All right, then," Chomesuke said with a sigh, "Tyki-pon'll help you get home. I don't want you goin' home by yourself like this." Some more customers came in. "I'll be with you in a second," she said to them, before turning back to Allen and Tyki. "Go home when you feel a little better." She went back to the counter. "Sorry for the wait, folks! How can I help you?"

It was about five minutes before Allen could see straight again. He still felt a little dizzy, but he couldn't just sit there forever. He let Tyki help him up and out the door. "You guys just head home," Tyki told his friends. "I gotta do somethin' after I get Card Shark here home, anyway."

"See ya Tyki!" his friends said as they walked away. "Feel better, Allen."

Allen and Tyki didn't talk much on the way to Allen's house, except for Allen to give a direction. Tyki was practically carrying Allen by the time they reached his house.

"Thank you," Allen said, bowing. He lost his balance, and Tyki had to steady him.

"Careful," Tyki replied. "Just watch some TV and eat those snacks." He was, of course, referring to the strawberry bun and cheesecake from the bakery. "That's what they tell ya to do when you donate blood, anyway.**8 **See ya."

The first thing Allen did when he got inside was flop onto the couch and fall asleep. He didn't notice Cross covering him with a blanket or looking at the gash.

"Well, I suppose he's had worse," Cross mumbled to himself, turning Allen's arm a bit to get a better look at the injury. "It's stopped bleeding, so he should be okay." Despite Allen's beliefs, Cross did care about the boy, if only a little bit.

* * *

Tyki, meanwhile, was walking through the halls in an Akuma High School uniform. His had the white cross over the black star, like any other Noah student.

"Tyki, you're late!" complained a small Noah. She smiled. "You're gonna get in trouble with the Earl!"

The Millenium Earl was the headmaster of Akuma High School and was always lovingly referred to by his students as the Earl. No one actually knew his real name, or cared what it was. Millenium Earl was a better name than "headmaster," and it felt made Akuma High school seem like the better school when compared to Black Order Academy, or at least that's what the students thought.

"I called in saying I'd be late," Tyki said, walking past the girl. "I'm not going to be in trouble. And what about you, Road? You're just as late as me."

"Getting a paper," Road replied with a smirk. She held it out for Tyki to read. "Apparently, there's a kid at Black Order whose dad was a Noah."

Tyki snatched the paper from her. He recognized the boy instantly. "Allen Walker, right?" he said, handing the _Rose Cross_ back. "Bumped into him on the way here."

Road's eyes lit up. "Really? What's he like? I think he's kinda cute!" She sang the last part. "Cuter than you, anyway."

Tyki rolled his eyes and went to class. A little bit of Road went a long way. He was thankful that he was a senior and she was a freshman. He didn't have many classes with her.

Still, he'd have fun messing with Allen Walker. He grinned. It was fun to mess with any of the Black Order students, especially if they met him when he wasn't in the Akuma High uniform. Even his friends had no idea that he went to the school.

To him, living a double life was exciting. He laughed to himself. Allen Walker... This was going to be fun.

* * *

Allen stirred when he heard a clock chime. He sat up and rubbed his eyes blearily. The clock on the mantle read seven. Allen shot off the couch. He'd missed his shift at the Silver Flower Teahouse!

"Morning, sleeping beauty," Cross said sarcastically. He was drinking blood red wine.

"Why didn't you wake me up when you got home?" Allen cried, looking for his shoes.

He heard a laugh from the kitchen. "Don't worry about missing your shift," Anita said, poking her head in the doorway. "Lenalee told me what happened when she got there."

Allen froze. "What are you doing here, Miss Anita?"

"Cross invited me in for some wine," she replied. She came into the living room and sat in one of the chairs. "How are you feeling, Allen?"

"Fine," he lied. In truth, he still felt a little dizzy, but not as bad as he had earlier. "Are you and General Cross dating?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Anita smiled. "Why, yes. Did Cross tell you that?"

"I guessed," Allen said. His stomach growled. He hadn't eaten his bakery, and he slept through lunch. He'd probably missed dinner too. At least Cross hadn't eaten the cake and bun.

Chuckling, Cross said, "It seems Allen's hungry. There's some left-overs from our dinner, if you want them. They're probably cold, though."

Allen did a double take. Cross was being nice. Something fishy was going on. Still, he was hungry and didn't see any harm in eating, since Cross had offered it.

"Make sure to clean up when you're done," Cross said.

So that was it. He wanted alone time with his girlfriend. Allen sighed. At least he got a free dinner out of it. Then he froze again. Cross now knew of his part time job. He'd be exploited for money. Again. Allen felt like crying. He couldn't think of a way this could get any worse.

_There's no use in getting upset about it,_ Allen thought bitterly. _I'll just have to hide my money and tell the loser to earn his own..._ He sighed. He couldn't argue with Cross—Cross was brutal. _I guess I'll just have to lie about how much I make,_ he decided in the end. That would have to do for now.

* * *

**1** In the Japanese version (since it was sort of lost in English), Allen uses very polite, formal Japanese until much later in the series.

**2** It's like the crosses on the Noah's head in the series, except white on the black star.

**3 **I know Mana wasn't the Noah and his brother was, but, like Leverrier, Mana was an upper-class student at Akuma High. At Akuma High, the levels are Akuma and Noah, so Mana falls under the higher level.

**4 **"Kogane" is Japanese for Gold. Thus, Chomesuke's bakery is the "Gold Bakery."

**5** Allen is a good cheater, but not quite good enough to cover up winning all those hands in a row. XD

**6** For those of you who don't know, she's using Japanese honorifics. –kun is an informal honorific used primarily for males. Later, she tells him to address her with the honorific –san. –san is used as Ms., Mrs., or Mr. Before, when she called Tyki "Tyki-pon" (the nickname the Earl gave Tyki, btw), she was using an honorific that she made up, like a nickname. (it's like if you have a friend named Jennifer, and you call her "Jenny" instead).

**7** "Sachiko" would be her given name, and Chomesuke is her family name. In Japan, family name comes first, as Chomesuke explains.

**8** Once again, I have no idea if there was blood donation back then, but let's say there is for the sake of Tyki's argument

I'd like to remind you all that this is an AU fic. Don't complain that Tyki's being too nice. Don't forget, he's not in his Akuma High uniform. He'll get eviller later. :-D

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading! Oh, and if you see any mistakes, please tell me! Thanks!


	5. Enter Miranda

**Chapter 5: Enter Miranda**

Allen walked to school, hiding his hair and Timcanpy with his coat's hood. It was raining hard that late October morning, and the air was cold. It had been a while since that article had been posted, but many of the students still gave Allen cold looks.

'_Well, cold looks are better than getting shoved out a window,'_ Allen thought. His injury had healed, but a thin scar ran down length of his arm. He gripped it, as if the memory of the injury was enough to cause pain.

"Look out!" cried a voice behind him.

Allen turned around to look rather than get out of the way. The woman who'd shouted crashed into him. She was about the same height as Allen, but still managed to knock him into a huge puddle.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, bowing multiple times. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and I stepped on a slippery spot in the road and couldn't stop!"

Allen stood and looked at his uniform. Thankfully, only the coat was wet. The uniform itself was dry for the most part. "It's all right. Don't worry about it."

The woman still looked upset, so Allen smiled to reassure her. "No harm done," he said. The clock tower struck 7:30. "Oh no! I'm late for school!" He turned to go.

"Wait!" the woman said, grabbing the back of his coat. "I just came here, and I'm lost. Do you know where Black Order Academy is?"

"That's where I'm heading, actually," Allen said. "Are you a new student?"

The woman nodded. "I'm Miranda Lotto. I doubted I'd be accepted, but I sent an application to the academy anyway. Somehow I managed to get in."

"We'd better hurry," Allen said. He started walking. "It's best not to be late on your first day, right?"

Miranda nodded, and they started walking. Allen glanced back at her. She was tall and very thin, giving her the appearance of a Halloween decoration (a skeleton, in particular). She had black hair that was falling out of the net barely keeping it in a bun. Dark circles rimmed her eyes, which reminded Allen of Bookman—the only difference was that Miranda's circles weren't make up.

They reached the school just as the first bell rang. Allen thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't late. Meanwhile, Miranda was looking around like a lost, panicky puppy.

"Where do I go? Where do I go?" she mumbled. She was hyperventilating.

"Calm down," Allen said. "Lala's"—he scanned the crowd—"right over there." He pointed.

The crowds of students rushing to their classes parted just enough to allow Lala to pass. The doll stopped in front of them both and smiled sweetly. "Hello! Miss Miranda Lotto, correct?" She didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she turned to Allen and said, "I can take it from here, Allen. You get to class before you're late again."

Allen nodded. He hoped Miranda would be all right on her own. She seemed to be in worse shape than he was his first day.

"Did ya here?" Lavi asked excitedly. Allen hadn't even sat down before the redhead rushed up to him. "There's a new student! Her name's—"

"Miranda Lotto," Allen replied. "She ran into me on the way here, literally." His coat was still wet from it, too. "She seems nice."

"She'll draw all the attention away from you!" Lavi said, elbowing Allen in the side. "You won't get pushed out a window again for a while."

"Bring that up again, and you'll be the next one out the window."

"Settle down, class," Reever said. He started handing out papers. "Time for your tests. I hope you all studied."

Everyone groaned, including Allen. With everything he'd had to deal with, he'd completely forgotten about the test. Everything, of course, included paying off Cross's debts at various stores and restaurants around town.

After the test—Allen knew he flunked—came English with Yeeger. Nothing too exciting happened in that class, which was perfectly fine with Allen. After that test, he didn't want any more excitement. Study hall went much the same way third period. Ceramics, as always, was a riot, but this time there was an addition to the fun. Miranda was in the class.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Miranda," Tiedoll said. He took Miranda's hand and shook it. "Welcome to Ceramics class! Why don't you take a seat next to," he scanned the room for an empty seat, "Michael!"**1** He pointed to a Finder near where Allen sat.

Tiedoll then straightened his glasses. "Today, we'll be making coil pots!" he said excitedly. He quickly went through the steps of making the coil pot and somehow managed to get quite a bit of the clay all over himself. "Let's see how you guys do at it." He took his glasses off and wiped them off on his apron. When he put them back on, they were covered in clay. "Well, that didn't work too well," he muttered to himself.

Everyone set to work. Allen had to get all the tools himself, but he didn't mind. After all, this was normal since the incident. At least no one was breaking his projects anymore.

"Eek! I'm sorry!" Miranda exclaimed. Allen glanced over and saw that Miranda had just dropped her wet clay on someone's foot.

"No, it's all right," the Finder said, scooping up the clay and dumping it on the table for Miranda. "Just don't drop it on me again. If you've got to drop something on someone, do it to the white-haired kid."

Miranda blinked. "I didn't mean to drop it," she said quickly, "and I'm not about to drop it on—"

Allen interrupted her. "Miss Miranda," he said, purposely sounding cold, "why don't you get to work? This _is_ a graded class." He didn't want to seem mean to Miranda, but what else could he do? He'd seen how Lenalee and Lavi had been treated for being his friends. He didn't want a new student like Miranda to suffer as well.

After many a mishap, the bell rang. Miranda stayed behind to pick up the mess she'd made. Allen stayed behind as well, but for a different reason. Tiedoll had heard what he'd said to Miranda.

"Allen, what's the matter?" Tiedoll asked with a sigh. "You don't strike me as the type to be rude to other students like that."

"I..." Allen couldn't look Tiedoll in the eyes, so he stared at the ground. "I didn't want Miranda to be..." He couldn't finish his sentence, nor did he have to. Tiedoll understood instantly.

He patted Allen's shoulder. "If you need help, you know we teachers are here for you, Allen. Unlike the students, we aren't all wrapped up in this stupid school rivalry. Just be yourself, and you should be okay. No one can stay mad at you for long," he added with a wink.

Allen nodded and grabbed his things. He was about to head for lunch when Miranda grabbed his arm. "Um... I couldn't help but overhear," she started. She hesitated a moment, but continued, "What don't you want me to be?"

It took Allen a few moments to process the question. In that time, though, he'd been staring at Miranda. That, of course, made her feel like she'd done something wrong.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried, bowing. "I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, aren't I? I shouldn't have asked! I'm sorry!" She went to dash away, but Allen grabbed her arm this time.

"No, it's fine. It's just, I don't want you to be..." Allen had to pick the right words, "picked on by everyone just because you had the bad luck of bumping into me. Anyway," he said, "I've got to get to lunch." He released her and went to the cafeteria.

Lenalee waved him over to their table. "So how were your classes so far?" she asked. She'd been worried about him ever since the problem with the window. When Allen told her everything was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"We wouldn't want you falling out another window," Lavi teased. He ducked behind his tray when Allen threw a spoon at him. "Kidding! Just kidding!"

"What's this about windows?" asked a quiet voice. Everyone turned to stare at Miranda, who was behind Allen's chair looking lost. "Allen, when did you fall out a window?"

Awkwardly, Allen said, "Well, I didn't exactly _fall_ out a window, but..." He shook his head. "Miss Miranda, what are—"

"I've decided I don't care what others think of me," Miranda said. She sat in the chair next to Lavi, where Kanda usually sat. "I mess up everything, so people will start picking on me soon anyway."

"Bean sprout," Kanda said, "who's this and why is she in my seat?"

Miranda froze. "I'm sorry!" she said. "I didn't know!" She was about to get up when Kanda walked away and sat with Daisya and a tall, dark-skinned Exorcist named Marie**2**.

"Don't worry about Kanda," Lenalee said with a smile. "He kept saying he was going to move to another table anyway. So, you're the new student Miranda?"

Miranda nodded, and Lavi jumped at the chance to hit on her. "Miranda's such a pretty name! Say, you wouldn't happen to have a boyfriend, would you? 'Cause if you don't, I'll gladly—"

He was interrupted by Lenalee. Somehow, her tray had collided with his face. "What did you mean by messing up everything?"

Miranda sighed. "Miranda, Miranda, unlucky Miranda," she sang. "She's hated, dark, and gloomy. Looking for work again today? You'll just get fired again." When she saw everyone's confused looks, she explained, "Everyone at my old school used to sing that. I always got fired within two days of getting a part-time job. I failed a bunch of my classes at my old school and was left behind by the other students... I'm actually nineteen, but I'm still in school because I was held back. I'm not sure how I became an Exorcist here."

"Eh? You're an Exorcist and you got held back?" Lavi asked, surprised. "I've never heard of someone who—"

Once again, his face collided with Lenalee's tray.**3** "I'm sure my brother had a reason to make you an Exorcist," Lenalee said with a smile. "You've just got to believe in yourself more. Right, Allen?"

Allen was the last person on Earth that should have been asked about believing. "Um, right," he said uncertainly. He wasn't very confident in his own abilities, let alone someone who'd failed a grade.

Changing the subject, Miranda asked Allen, "Did you get that scar from falling out the window?"

Allen touched the scar on his face and shook his head. "No," he replied. The others had to strain to hear him. "I got this a couple years ago. I'd rather not talk about it." The memories were still fresh in Allen's mind, regardless. He felt his throat close and tears burning at the back of his eyes. He swallowed hard and faked a smile.

Lenalee caught on to how fake the smile actually was. She drew the attention away from Allen for the moment. "Oh! You guys have to come to the competition! Allen's act is amazing! You'd have to see it to believe it!"

Allen felt himself blush. "I'm not that great! It's just what I did when I was a kid," he said, waving his hands furiously in denial. "It's stuff you'd see any street performer do!"

"Only better," Lavi said with a grin. "Lenalee, I'm already going to be there. I'm _IN_ the show, in case you don't remember."

The rest of lunch went rather smoothly. Everyone was having a good time at the table, and Miranda even laughed at one of Lavi's stupid jokes. Allen smiled. Things were becoming normal at last.

* * *

"I'm home," Allen called into the gloom of the house. He flicked on some lights and munched on some of the food Anita had given him. The food was delicious, and he was starving.

Allen sat on the couch and stared out the window at the cloudy night sky. He felt sick as a snowflake drifted down and melted on the window sill. Tears were in his eyes. _No!_ he thought, wiping them away. Still, the tears wouldn't stop. His scar throbbed painfully, or it did in his mind. _Not again... Not again!_

He went shakily to his room and wrapped himself up in his blankets. This happened every first snow of winter. It was just like that day so long ago, when Mana... Allen refused to think about it. He even placed the picture of himself and Mana in a drawer. He didn't want to remember how Mana's life had ended, but it came back to him anyway.

All the blood... It was like he was at the scene of the accident again. He'd managed to scrape by with a huge cut on his face and a concussion. Mana, on the other hand, was laying a few feet from him.

_"Mana!" child Allen cried. He managed to reach his father somehow, despite the world spinning around him. He wiped the blood out of his eye. "Mana!" He shook his father gently._

_Mana grabbed Allen's wrist and struggled to get up. "Allen... Listen, Allen... No matter what... don't ever_... _stop..." His breathing was labored even as he said these words._

"_No Mana!" Allen sobbed. The blood around his eye was mingling with the tears. "Please, don't die!"_

"_Keep on walking, no matter where to." Mana's eyes were dulling._

_The tears wouldn't stop. "Don't leave me all alone!"_

_Mana's grip tightened, if only a moment. "Keep on walking, Allen!" he said, and with what remained of his energy looked straight into Allen's eyes. "Until... the day... you die..." He collapsed to the ground. He released Allen's wrist and went still._

"_M-Mana?" Allen asked, shaking his father slightly. "No... You can't be dead! Don't die! I don't want you to die!" Allen felt sleepy, but struggled to stay awake. He had to stay with Mana. If he fell asleep, what would happen to Mana? In spite of Allen's best efforts, everything went dark._**4**

* * *

"Allen!" Cross called when he got home. He'd been on a date with Anita, and it had gone on longer than he'd expected. Of course it had to start snowing before he'd gotten home. He looked in the places Allen usually hung around when he got home from school. The boy wasn't in the kitchen or living room, so that left his room.

Sighing, Cross pulled open the door. He found Allen curled up under his blankets, crying in his sleep. So the brat had noticed the snow. He approached quietly and knelt down next to Allen's bed.

"Just my luck to be stuck with a traumatized brat. Mana, if I hadn't known you and your brother, this kid would be out on the street." Despite his harsh words, he brushed Allen's hair from his face lovingly. He caught himself in the act and decided to leave the room before he did anything else sickeningly father-like. Allen was asleep. He'd be fine until morning.

* * *

**1** Michael's the Finder in the "Leaf of Revival" episodes (that ark starts episode 14).

**2** I think the guy's name is Marie. The Exorcist with the headset and the wires for Innocence. Also, another thing I want to ask you guys: Is Marie blind? I can't tell... If you know, please tell me in your review!

**3** It's fun to beat up on Lavi for being an idiot.

**4** ...It's slightly different than the anime version of Mana's death, but I wanted Allen to get the scar from the "accident" because there's no such thing as Akuma in the D.Gray-Man sense in this story.

Well, that's it for this chapter! Kinda short, and ended on a depressing point, yeah, but I wanted to get the others to know about Allen's scar and hair and all. All shall be revealed next chapter.

So, until then, see you guys!


	6. Gravestone

**Chapter 6: Gravestone**

"This is where he lives?" Lavi asked, his breath coming out as a fog in the cold air. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground, but it was quickly melting even as he crunched over it.

Lenalee looked at the note in her hand. "That's what Komui said," she replied. Allen had been absent from school that day, and she was worried. She knocked on the front door.

There was a shuffling sound and a tall man with red hair opened the door. He stared at Lenalee and made no notice of Lavi. "And who might you be?" he asked politely.

"Um... Are you General Cross?" Lenalee asked. When the man nodded, Lenalee said, "We're Allen's friends. He was out of school today, and we brought his homework for him."

Cross puffed on his cigarette a moment and said, "Come back another day. Maybe next week." He closed the door.

"Wait!" Lavi shouted, grabbing the door before it closed completely. "Where is Allen? Isn't he home?"

"Yes, he's here physically. Mentally is another story altogether," Cross replied. "Like I said, come back next week. He might even be up to talking by then."

Lavi pushed the door open more and Lenalee asked, "What do you mean? Why can't we see him?"

Cross rolled his eyes and stepped aside. "You can see him if you want. I'm not sure how much he'll actually respond to you, though."

Lavi and Lenalee glanced at each other. This didn't bode well. "What do you...?" Lavi started, but trailed off. Cross was already walking away to a stairway in the back of the house. Lenalee and Lavi looked at each other, nodded, and followed close behind.

Cross stopped at a door in the upstairs hall and knocked. "Allen," he said calmly, "your friends are here to see you." There was no response, so Cross opened the door anyway and turned on a light.

Allen was sitting on his bed wrapped up in his blankets. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and his eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying for a while. He lifted his head slightly to look at Cross, but it was as if he didn't see them. Like he was looking through them to something they couldn't see.

Lenalee rushed over and took Allen's shoulders. "Allen, what's wrong?" she asked. It frightened her to see him like this. When he didn't respond, Lenalee turned to Cross. "General, what's wrong with him?"

Cross took another puff on his cigarette and said, "This happens every year. He gets like this for a week or so and then goes back to normal."

"What do you mean 'every year'?" Lavi asked. "If this happens all the time, how do you fix it? Shouldn't he see a doctor or something?"

"Doctor can't do anything. I took him to a psychiatrist once. Said the brat would have to get over this on his own."

Lenalee looked back at Allen's ashen face. "So he has a mental disorder?" she asked. His eyes were empty as they stared back at her. She wiped away one of the tears. "Allen, it'll be all right..." she whispered.

"Trauma," Cross said. "Kid can't tell what's going on now from back then. Far as he's concerned, he's back at the accident."

"Accident?" Lavi repeated. "Is that how he got that scar?"

"Allen!" Lenalee cried out. Cross and Lavi looked to see Allen sobbing again. Lenalee did the only thing she could do and pulled him into a hug. "It's all right," Lenalee kept repeating. Her voice was soothing and seemed to be helping. Allen was going limp in her arms, and his breathing steadied. He was fast asleep.

Cross approached and picked up a plate of half-eaten toast. "Well, he's better than last year. This year he's at least eating."

"Is there anything we can do?" Lenalee asked, stroking Allen's hair gently. She laid his head on her lap and continued to comb her fingers through his hair.

"Unless you have a degree in psychiatrics, there's nothing you can do." He scrutinized Lenalee, brow furrowed. "Actually, there might be something you can do... He refuses to talk to me about anything, but Allen might talk to you guys about what happened if you poke at him enough."

"Maybe if you weren't such a jerk to him, he'd trust you enough to talk," Lavi said coldly. Allen was always complaining about how horrible Cross was.

"Touché," Cross said, smiling. "I'll leave you kids alone for a while. If he wakes up, do something." He waved his hand to dismiss the issue and left.

"What are we supposed to do?" Lavi muttered. He sat down on the floor and noticed something strange. The drawer on his nightstand wasn't shut all the way. "I don't think Allen'll mind too much if I poke around a bit," he said with a grin.

Lenalee shook her head. "Lavi, don't. Allen will hate you forever."

Lavi ignored Lenalee and tugged the drawer open. He lifted the picture frame and looked at it. Inside was a picture of a small boy riding on a man's shoulders grinning. He picked up another photo that was in the drawer—this one without a frame—of the same small boy and man in clown make up. "Hey, who's this guy?" he asked, but froze when Allen snatched the photos away.

"Who said you could go through me stuff?" he asked.

"I tried to stop him," Lenalee said, "but he wouldn't listen to me. Allen, how are you feeling?"

Allen huddled the blankets, still holding the pictures. "A little better, I guess..." he muttered. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You weren't at school, so we were worried about you," Lenalee replied. "When we got here, General Cross asked us to keep you company since you didn't look well."

Heaving a sigh, Allen looked at the pictures. "Did he tell you I'm a nutcase or why I stayed home today?"

"He said you were traumatized by some accident and that you get like this every year," Lavi said. "Is it the anniversary of the accident or something?"

Allen shook his head. "I can't even remember the accident or what day it happened. I hit my head really hard, so I can't remember the details very well." Allen glanced out the window at the clear sky. The snow had stopped, but his eyes were still watering. Irritated, he rubbed the tears away. "On the first snow of winter, though, I get vivid flashbacks, and it's impossible for me to act normally for a couple days. Last year, I wouldn't leave my room for a week, and I couldn't eat. Cross actually force fed me a few times so I wouldn't starve myself to death." He smiled shakily for a few moments, but dropped the act. They already knew.

Lenalee placed a hand on Allen's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about what you do remember?" she asked. "Maybe just talking will help."

Shaking his head, Allen said, "I doubt it. If it were that easy, I'd be cured of this by now."

"Not necessarily." Grinning, Lavi plopped down on the floor across from where Allen sat. "I read somewhere that sometimes you gotta talk to people you trust or somethin' like that. So, let's talk!"

After a few moments of silence, Allen nodded. "It was a couple years ago. I don't remember too well, but it happened the first snowfall of that winter." He paused to collect his thoughts. "I remember being there when Mana died, but I blacked out right after because of a concussion. When I woke up, I was in a hospital, and the doctors were telling me that Mana, my father, was dead. Everything's huge blur after that. They buried Mana in a small graveyard up on a hill. The nurse who was taking care of me until they found someplace to put me had to drag me away from the grave everyday." He couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

"But how'd you end up with the general?" Lavi asked.

"I don't know, actually. He just showed up one day and said he'd adopt me. I'm not sure what he told the hospital to convince them to let me go with him, but apparently it was enough."

Lenalee brushed away Allen's tears. "It was a long time ago. Everything's all right now."

"I have a request," Allen said. He didn't notice his friends' surprise. "I... want to visit Mana's grave, but I don't think I could do it alone. I think I could manage if you guys were there with me."

"Of course we'll go with you!" Lenalee said with a smile. "The weekend starts tomorrow, so why don't we go then? About how far is it?" Allen didn't respond though. He was asleep again, leaning against her shoulder.

Snickering, Lavi went to the door. "I'll go ask General Cross where it is. See ya in a few!" He was laughing as he left the room.

* * *

"Hurry up, Lavi!" Lenalee shouted. The train whistle blew again. "We're going to leave without you if you don't hurry up!"

Lavi got on just as the train started moving. "Made it," he panted. He flopped into the seat across from Allen. Lenalee had decided it would be best for her to sit next to Allen, since he seemed to calm down a bit whenever she was nearby. "So how're you feeling, Allen? Any better now that we're on our way?"

Closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat, Allen said, "I feel terrible. If the train wasn't moving already, I'd say we should come back another day."

"It's nerves," Lenalee said. "I went to the library and looked around about this. You haven't been to your father's grave for years, so you're just nervous about it. I don't think it helps that you've been having flashbacks of the accident, either."

Allen stared out the window at the gently falling snow. It wasn't the first snow, so he wasn't having a horrible time because of it. Still, he was having nightmares because of the snow the day before. "It's not too long of a train ride, is it? The sooner we get there, the better."

"We'll get there when we get there," Lenalee replied. "Just relax for a while, okay Allen?"

He didn't want to relax, though. He wanted to get to the grave as soon as possible. He felt his eyes watering again. Irritated, he wiped away the tears again.

Lenalee noticed and smiled. "It'll be over soon. I'm sure you'll be cured when we get there." She hoped so, at least. When she'd held Allen before, he been shaking. She didn't want him to feel that sort of pain. She'd always believed mental injuries were worse that physical ones. "You know, I had problems with trauma when I was little."

"Really?" He'd known her parents had been murdered, but somehow he'd never imagined Lenalee being like him. She'd always seemed so much stronger than he was.

"Yeah. I actually saw my parents... Anyway, I was in pretty bad shape. That's actually why my brother has such a bad sister complex. He was always worried about me when I was younger."

The three chatted the rest of the ride to keep Allen's mind off of the accident from years before. Every so often, Allen would start crying for no reason in particular, but it didn't last very long. At least the train ride was short. They'd left after breakfast, and it was a little before lunch by the time they arrived.

"Let's get something to eat before we head over to the grave," Lavi suggested. "That way if Allen breaks down, we won't go hungry." He received a sharp elbow in the side from Lenalee.

"What do you want to do, Allen?" Lenalee asked. She knew he couldn't go to the graveyard on his own, so she'd accompany him wherever he wanted to go. "It's up to you. Ignore whatever Lavi says."

"Let's eat," Allen decided. All he'd eaten the day before was half a piece of toast, and he was ready to eat a horse. "If I remember right, there's a small restaurant on the way to the graveyard."

It didn't take long to reach the place Allen had mentioned. They ate quickly, or Allen did at least. He'd polished off his meal long before the others, despite having more food than Lenalee and Lavi combined. Allen waited patiently for them to finish, and they were soon on their way to the cemetery.

"This is it," Lenalee said. She opened the gate and waited for Allen to pass through in front of her. Lavi went in first, and Allen, pale as a ghost, went in after.

"Bit grim, isn't it?" Lavi commented as they passed a statue of an angel wielding a sword. "Can't they make these places a little brighter? You know, add some color or some flowers."

Rolling her eyes, Lenalee said, "Lavi, it's the end of October. Nothing would be blooming, even if there were flowers planted." She took a few quicker steps to catch up with Allen a few paces in front of them. "Are you all right? Should we stop?"

Allen shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. There was something about the place that just made him feel a hundred times worse than when he came. It was like someone had put weights on his shoulders. He hesitated before climbing up the hill Mana's grave was on.

"This is it?" Lavi asked, nodding to the stone cross. When Allen didn't respond, he clapped him on the shoulder. "Come on, Allen! Say somethin'."

Allen's knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Lenalee rushed to help him up, but he refused. "I'm fine," he said mechanically. Lenalee couldn't see his face, but she did see the tears falling to the ground. "I just can't seem to stop crying." His voice was shaking.

Lenalee sat down next to him and clapped her hands. Allen glanced at her, wondering what she was doing. She seemed to be praying. "Mana Walker, I'm very glad to have met your son, Allen," she said to the grave. "He's a really good person, and I think you'd be proud of him if you were still around right now. Allen's been having a tough time since you passed away, but I'm sure he'll do just fine. I'll make sure of it, Mr. Walker."

She folded her hands in her lap and turned to Allen, who was still watching her with a stupefied look on his face. "Why don't you talk to him too, Allen? It may seem silly, but it'll make you feel better."

Allen turned back to the grave. "I don't know what to say, though," he muttered lamely. After a few moments of thought, Allen said, "I'm sorry I haven't visited you grave, Father. A lot has happened since the accident." He kept talking. Even if he made no sense, he felt the weight on his shoulders lifting. When he finished, he felt like he'd opened his eyes for the first time since his father's death. He stood and wiped what remained of his tears away. "Thank you for everything, Mana," he said at last.

He turned to Lenalee and Lavi, smiling. "Should we head back? I'm sure Komui's ready to send out a search party for you by now."

There was a spring in Allen's step as they went back to the train station and went home. "See you guys at school," Allen said brightly before closing the door to his house.

"I guess you were right," Lavi said. "He seems a lot happier, at least."

Lenalee nodded in agreement. She was happy to see him so happy. "You know, I think that's the first real smile he's ever given us," she whispered to herself.

"You say something?"

"Nope! I have to get home before my brother attempts to make dinner. See you on Monday!" She waved as she ran toward her home.

* * *

Wow, that's a first... I have no A/N numbers this time... Well, here's the update! Two within 24 hours... If you guys see any mistakes (which I'm sure there are many), please tell me! Thank you!


	7. Performance

**Chapter 7: Performance**

"Okay! This is our last meeting before the performance!" Jazz said. She seemed pumped, despite the tension in the air. "Pep talk time!"

The members of the performance club were all sitting on the floor, listening as Jazz talked about what would happen the next day. "There are three categories of entry: Music, which is singing and instruments, Physical, which is the gymnastics, dancing, and that kind of thing, and Acting," their leader explained. "First is always the Music and then the Physical. There's a short break, and then the Acting starts. Everyone knows what section they're in?"

Everyone nodded. Jazz smiled. "They'll have the times for each act listed when we get there. Okay everyone, get a good night's sleep and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow at the contest! Break every bone in your body and fall in a pit of rabid alligators!"**1**

The meeting was over. Allen stood and was about to leave when Jazz stopped him. "You ready?" she asked. "You missed school last week, so I don't want you performing if you feel sick or unprepared."

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Allen replied. He'd told the few people who were actually worried about his absence that he'd caught a twenty-four hour bug rather than the truth. He was considered weird enough as it was.

Jazz smiled. "Well, do your best. Remember, even if you mess up, you have to keep going like you meant to do that. They don't know what our routines are before hand for that very reason. Besides," she said with a wink, "you're a clown. Just clown around and try to make 'em laugh if ya mess up."

"Good luck everyone!" Lavi called out. Almost everyone in the room threw something at Lavi. Those close enough to hit him did so.**2** "Hey! No bruises! Bruise me, and I won't be able to perform!"

Lenalee giggled. "It's your own fault, Lavi! You were the one to say the cursed words."

"Cursed words?" Allen repeated.

"It's bad luck to wish someone good luck," Jazz explained. "It's a theater belief that we follow pretty closely. Right guys?" she called out to everyone else. The other members cheered in response.

Smiling, Allen walked out of the clubroom with Lenalee. "Are you working today?" Lenalee asked, surprising Allen. They hadn't really had a chance to talk since they'd gone to visit his father's grave. Allen suspected it was to keep her brother from hitting him with a door again.

"No. I have the day off. Anita told me that I couldn't work because of the performance." Allen wished she hadn't forced him to have the day off, though. He needed the money to keep Cross's debts at bay.

"Then, do you want to do something?" she asked. "We could go to the Halloween festival and have some fun there for a few hours."

"Halloween festival?" Allen repeated.

"Halloween's next week," Lenalee reminded him. "They always have a festival the weekend before and after Halloween. There are people dressed up like monsters and haunted houses... You'll love it!"

"Well..." Allen didn't know how to respond. "What about tomorrow, though?"

"We can head back early. It never goes that late on Friday, anyway." She frowned. Allen was still hesitant to accept. "Are you scared of monsters?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Er..." Allen glanced away. "When I was little, Mana and I were hired to be some ghost clowns for a festival like that. The other monsters were a little too into their job..."

"So they scared you so bad you never want to go to another Halloween festival?" Lenalee asked. Allen could hear the doubt in her voice.

"They were scary, and I was little," Allen said defensively. "I know it sounds stupid, but it's true. I guess I'm just a coward."

Lenalee laughed. "It's not funny!" he snapped.

"You're hardly a coward!" Lenalee said, still giggling. "A coward couldn't do what you did the other day." She was, of course, referring to his visiting Mana's grave. "You just don't like horror, and I accept that. I guess I just don't understand how you can be scared of people in costumes."

Allen had to smile. "You'd be scared of them too. I seriously thought that one person was going to eat me when I was little."

"Was he a werewolf?"

"She was a possessed rag doll."

Lenalee doubled over. "Now that's just plain silly!"

"It's not that funny," Allen said, laughing himself. "Okay, I guess it is, but still, she was down right freaky."

Lenalee wiped the tears out of her eyes. She'd been laughing so hard that her eyes had watered. "So, what do you want to do then? I have today off from work, too."

"I have no idea. If I'm not working, I usually just go home and do homework..." Allen had no social life outside of school.

"Then how about we go shopping?" Lenalee asked.

"What? Why?" Allen turned to look at her, only to realize she was looking him up and down.

"I've only ever seen you in your uniform and that one other outfit that looks like it's never been new. Don't you own any other clothes?"

He'd actually gotten the clothes from a second hand store, so Lenalee wasn't far off the mark. Still, how could she think he had enough money to spend after having met Cross? "I'm always broke because I have to pay back Cross's debts. I can't afford a ton of new clothes."

"Then I'll get you something!" Lenalee volunteered, grabbing Allen's hand.

They walked in silence, Lenalee because she was focussing on store names and Allen because she was holding his hand. He wasn't sure if she remembered or not, but she didn't seem to care that she had his deformed hand in hers. Even if it was because she wasn't paying attention, it made Allen happy for her not to shy away from it like so many others.

"This'll work!" Lenalee said brightly. "Sale's the magic word!"

The store she'd stopped at was a small shop with racks of clothing and mannequins dressed in the latest winter fashions.

"Welcome," said a calm voice. "May I help you find anything?" The woman who'd asked them was tall and had long blond hair tied back into a ponytail. She wore dark glasses, despite being indoors, and an even darker suit.

"We're looking for something for my friend here," Lenalee said, indicating Allen. "Do you have anything that isn't too expensive?"

The woman nodded and led the two deeper into the store. She stopped in front of a rack of men's clothing. "Do you need help with anything else?"

Lenalee was already shuffling through the rack. "No, this is good. Thank you very much."

"Lulubelle! We need your help up here!" cried the shop owner.

The woman, Lulubelle, bowed and returned to the front of the store.

Allen watched her leave, since he had nothing better to do. Every so often, Lenalee would tug a shirt or a jacket off the rack and hold it up to Allen, but he was useless other than that. After about ten minutes, she picked out a perfect ensemble for him.

She nodded to herself. "You'll look great in it, Allen! It's not very expensive either. Perfect!" She dug in her pocket for her wallet.

"You don't have to buy it," Allen said quickly. He'd looked at the price tags when she'd handed the clothing to him—he'd be able to afford it.

Lenalee frowned. "Are you sure? You were the one who said you were broke."

"Don't worry. Like you said, they aren't very expensive."

Still, Lenalee looked unconvinced. "All right," she said at last. "You get those if you want them, but I'm getting you something else!" She ambled off to one side of the small store, leaving him by himself.

Allen paid for the clothes and waited outside the shop for Lenalee to finish with whatever she was doing. She sure was taking her time. _Maybe she's mad at me now..._ Allen thought dismally.

"Thank you for your purchase!" called the shopkeeper.

"So what did you—" Allen stopped short when Lenalee threw something warm and soft around his neck.

"A scarf, since it's getting colder out. Think of it as a get well present for last week," Lenalee added before Allen could refuse her gift.

"Thank you..." Allen said. He wasn't sure what else to say, if there was anything else to. It was his first gift from a girl, after all. Instead, he busied himself with looking at his new scarf. It was red with embroidered stars in gold.

"It looks good on you, Allen," Lenalee said. She though his silence was because he didn't like the scarf. She turned away from Allen. "Anyway, I have to get home before Komui has a cow. See ya tomorrow, Allen!"

Allen waved, but realized too late that Lenalee wasn't looking at him. "See you!" he called out, not sure if she'd heard him. He sighed and went home.

* * *

"So, you ready?" Jazz asked.

"Almost," Allen replied. He was shuffling through the costume bag the club had given him. "Um... do you have any make up?"

"Yeah!" Jazz held out some lipstick among other things.

Allen shook his head. "No, I meant clown make up..."

"Like face paint?" Jazz thought a moment, then ducked into the girl's dressing room. She came back a few minutes later with an assortment of face paints. "I am _SO_ glad Misty likes dressing up for acting!" she laughed as she handed the make up to him. "I hope her clown monologue goes well..."

Allen shrugged. He was a clown, not an actor, so he couldn't tell what was good acting and what was bad.

"So, I get the white's supposed to be the base and the red goes around your lips, but what about your eyes and nose?" Jazz asked, twirling her ponytail with her finger. Allen could tell she was getting jittery waiting for her turn to perform.

Shrugging again, Allen just did what he'd always done as a child. He covered his face with white, careful to make sure his scar was thoroughly covered, and then took the blue to make diamonds around his eyes. Then he put the red around his lips to form a big, goofy grin.

"So, rubber nose?" Jazz asked, holding up a small red nose-cover.

"That's great if you're throwing pies at each other," Allen explained, "but it can fall off if you do a lot of flips and tumbles." Instead, he colored his nose red. It was the same effect, over all. "It gets hard to breathe wearing one too. That's what my father told me, at least."

Jazz blinked. "You mean the guy that went to Akuma High?" she asked.

Allen nodded. "We traveled all over as street performers. He taught me how to do everything from tricks to make up." Allen smiled at the memory.

"Guys!" Lenalee said, making both of them jump. "Marie's about to go on!" She grabbed Allen's arm and tugged him toward the stage area.

"Marie?" Allen repeated. "I thought he was blind."

"He plays the organ by ear," Lenalee explained. "He's really good; you've got to hear him!"

Allen nodded. He watched Marie sit down at the organ and start to play. "He's amazing!" Allen mumbled. "I wish I could play like that..."

"You could with enough practice," Lenalee said. "I know he worked his butt off to get that good." They allowed the music to fill the silence for a moment. "Allen... You really cared about your father, didn't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah. He's the only father I've got, dead or not," Allen replied. A sad smile flickered across his face. "He adopted me—a kid off the street—and took care of me like I was his real son. Even if we weren't related by blood, he's the closest thing I've ever had to a father."

Lenalee nodded and gripped Allen's hand. "You're a strong person," she said. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you right now."

Surprised, Allen looked at her. She just smiled and rushed off. "I need to get ready for my performance. See ya!"

"I see..." Jazz said. "You were adopted! I figured it was weird that you didn't look like your dad in that picture. This is a horse of a different color altogether!"

"Excuse me?" Jazz said confusing things sometimes, but this just lost Allen completely.

"Well, the reason everyone was so mad about that article is 'cause they thought you were related to someone from Akuma High. You aren't blood related, so no one'll care as much now. I'll go spread it around!" Jazz went to leave, but Allen stopped her.

"I'd rather not have everyone reminded about the article," Allen said seriously. "I'm sure most people have forgotten by now."

"Quiet back there!" hissed one of the stage crew. "If you want to talk, go to the waiting room downstairs!"

"Sorry!" Allen whispered back. He nodded to Jazz and went downstairs as the stage crewmember had suggested.

"Are you Allen Walker?"

Allen glanced around for the girl who'd spoken.

"Down here!" the girl said, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, I'm Allen..." he replied. The girl was a lot shorter than he was. She looked too young to be in a high school performing contest. "Are you lost?"

"Nope!" the girl said, grinning. She smoothed her magician costume and fixed the hat on her head, revealing short, messy black hair. "Just wanted to wish ya luck!" She reached up and patted him on the shoulder. Then she walked away, still smoothing her costume.

"That was weird," Lavi commented. "Do you know her?"

Allen jumped. "When did you get there?" he asked. "You scared me!"

"Sorry," Lavi said, grinning. "Force of habit. So, who was that kid?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," Allen replied.

"Oh no!"

Allen and Lavi turned to face Jazz. "Allen! What did you do to your costume?"

"My... costume?" Allen repeated, confused. "I didn't do anything to—" He looked at where she was pointing and froze. There was a huge rip in the sleeve now. "When did that happen?" Then he remembered the girl who patted him on the shoulder right where the rip now was. "That girl!"

"We need to find a needle and thread or a pin of something!" Jazz said, looking around helplessly. "Your act's coming up soon, and if it's all ripped up...!"

Allen didn't mind. He could perform without a costume. "Do they judge us lower if the costumes are damaged?"

"Well, no..." Jazz shuffled her feet. "It's just our costume people had a lot of fun putting that together and they'll get all upset if it's not used..."

"But there's no point in using it if it's all ripped up," Lavi said. "I'll go ask around and see if I can find anyone who can fix it."

The three split up. All three had found people with thread, but none of it was the right color for Allen's black-and-white costume.

"What a disaster!" Jazz cried. "We'll never get it fixed in time!"

"Get what fixed?"

Allen turned to see Miranda. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to wish you luck," Miranda said. Nobody pointed out that it was bad luck to wish someone good luck.

"You wouldn't happen to have some thread that matches Allen's costume, would you?" Jazz asked hopefully.

Miranda dug in her pockets and pulled out a needle and thread. "Will this do?" She didn't wait for an answer. She just sewed up the hole.

Everyone stared first at the now nonexistent hole, then back at Miranda, mouths agape.

Miranda froze. "I'M SORRY!!!!!!" she sobbed. "I shouldn't have tried to help! I just screwed it up again! I can't do anything right!"

"No, no!" Allen said quickly. He was sure everyone upstairs could hear her. "You did such a good job, we were just speechless!"

Jazz grinned. "Hey, Miranda, right? Ever think of joining our club as part of costumes?"

Lavi bopped her on the head. "Jazz, now's not the time. Isn't your act coming up?"

"Ack! You're right! See ya guys!" She spun on her heel and dashed up the stairs.

"Thank you, Miranda," Allen said. "You really helped—" he stopped. "Miranda, are you crying? You didn't mess anything up! You did a great job!"

"No one's ever told me 'thank you' before," she said, sniffling. "I'm so useless at everything that I've never gotten a 'thank you' in my life."

"Aw, you're not useless, Miranda," Lavi said, patting Miranda on the shoulder. "You just need to find what you're good at and stick to it."

"I'm going to go watch Jazz's act," Allen said, going to the stairs. "I'm on next anyway."

Once up the stairs, Allen glanced around for someplace out of the way to watch. He found a small place behind one of the curtains and stood unmoving as Jazz started twirling her ribbon to what sounded like an Arabian tune.

He was instantly absorbed by the bright colors. Jazz's costume had scarves for the skirt. They blended in with the ribbon she twirled whenever she spun. She leaped, skipped, spun, and danced around the stage. She at last ended her hypnotic dance and bowed. The members of the audience applauded—Black Order students whistling and cheering, Akuma High grudgingly. The judges scribbled down a few notes and thanked Jazz for her performance.

"Next is Allen Walker, fifteen-years-old!" said the announcer.

Allen took a deep, steadying breath. He'd performed plenty of times before. This was no different.

Jazz put a hand on Allen's shoulder. She gave a silent thumbs-up before walking away. "Break a leg," she whispered over her shoulder.

Allen nodded and did a back flip to get on stage. He went through his routine just as he'd practiced it, but unlike Jazz, the audience wasn't getting absorbed. He could see a few people yawning, waiting for something more exciting.

He paid for his moment of distraction. He slipped when he landed from a handspring. He didn't panic, though. Instead, he went into the splits and acted like me meant to that.

_Well, I already screwed up,_ he thought. He veered away from the original act, putting in whatever he felt like. A few back flips here, walk on his hands there, a few jumps—Allen was getting the audience's attention. He saw from the corner of his eyes a few leaning forward to try and get a better look at him.

This was what Allen loved to do. He was a street performer, not a stage actor. To him, there was no fourth wall. He picked up his juggling balls and started doing tricks with them. Three balls, then four, then five. Still juggling, he hopped off the stage and walked around the auditorium with them. Everyone cheered.

Allen glanced around for a victim. He saw Daisya sitting a few chairs away and grinned evilly. "Daisya!" he called.

"Hn?"

"Catch!" He threw a ball to the exorcist.

Daisya kicked it back to him, and Allen put it back in the juggling rotation easily. He wasn't the best soccer player for nothing.

The audience went wild. "Me next! Throw one to me!" someone called. Allen did so, but that person missed the ball by a mile. They picked it up and tossed it back, their faces a deep crimson.

"Try again!" Allen said, tossing it more gently this time. The person caught it and laughed when they threw it back.

Allen switched to juggling with one hand and one by one placed the balls on top of his head. He had a tower of three juggling balls balanced perfectly and he waddled back to the stage, still juggling. Everyone was laughing and clapping at the silly maneuver.

He jumped back onto the stage, causing the three balls to go flying into the air. He caught all three, then bowed. The audience erupted into shouts and whistles. Grinning, Allen waved and ambled offstage.

"Idiot!"

"What?" Allen was confused.

"Why didn't you just stick to the show Emma thought up?" one of the Performance Club members shouted.

"You really are for Akuma High, aren't you?" shouted one of the few male members. The hate because of his unfortunate connection with Akuma High School hadn't escaped the club.

Allen hung his head. "N-no one was getting into the planned one, and I messed up, so I figured I might as well just..."

"Just what? You've ruined it for everyone!"

Allen held back the tears. He was a clown. Clowns shouldn't cry.

"Answer, you stupid Akuma!" One of the performers lifted a hand to slap Allen.

There was a shuffling, and someone grabbed the girl's arm. "What's all this, then?" asked the man. He was tall and wore in ill-fitting suit. Allen instantly recognized him as one of the judges—he'd thrown one of the juggling balls to him during his act.

"Who're you?" asked one of the actors.

The man smiled. "That's not important." He released the girl's arm and turned to Allen. "You're the clown that was just on, right? I have to say, that was the most entertaining act I've ever seen."

"Thank you, sir," Allen said, surprised.

"I'm sure you'll get high marks from at least one of the judges," he said with a wink. He knew Allen had recognized him, even if the others hadn't. "I know one of them's always lookin' for new ideas like that. Well, I should be getting back to my seat before the Acting."

The situation was diffused. Most were there because Allen had simply messed around onstage. Once they had heard from a member of the audience that it was good, they had no reason to be mad. There were only a few that were picking on Allen because of the article, and they were too cowardice to mess with him with such a small group. They all huffed and stormed off, pretending to get ready for their own acts.

"Allen, are you okay?" Lenalee asked when he walked down the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Allen replied. "Just a little shocked, I guess." He shrugged and collapsed into a chair.

"Nerves?" Lavi asked. "They're not so bad once you get started, but before and after they're killer."

"Not really nerves," Allen said, shrugging again.

Lenalee dug in her purse for a handkerchief. "Let's get this make up off," she said, wiping away the face paint.

"I dunno, I think Allen looks good as a clown," Lavi snickered. Lenalee rolled her eyes. "What? I'm serious!"

Lenalee finished getting the make up off. "That has to be a lot better," she said with a smile. "It gets really hot when you have a lot of make up on."

Allen hadn't realized how hot his face had been until Lenalee had cleaned it off. "Thanks, Lenalee," he muttered.

"Aw, Allen's blushing!" Lavi laughed.

"I am not!" Allen said. His face turned even redder. "You're imagining things!"

"I am _so_ not imagining things!" Lavi said with a grin. "You're definitely blushing."

"Guys!"

All three turned. "What's up, Jazz?" Lavi asked.

"The Physical scores are up! Get over here and check this out!"

The posters on the wall had a list of every act listed in order of best to lowest score. Allen searched for his name and almost fainted when he found it. In huge letters at the top, surrounded by gold star stickers, was his name. The music poster next to it had no stickers, and this confused Allen.

He was almost afraid to ask. "What are the stickers for?"

"No clue," Jazz said with a shrug. "Never seen 'em on the posters before. There's one judge who always covered his comment sheet with them if he liked your act, but he's never been able to get 'em on the poster before."

"The other judges must have liked it enough to let him have his fun," Lenalee said. She continued to scan the document. "Ah, I'm fourth. Lavi, you're tenth."

Lavi didn't hear Lenalee. "So, Jazz, what's it like to be second for once in your life?"

She hit Lavi on the back of the head. "You have no right to pick on me about it," she scolded. "I still beat you by a mile."

"So what do we do now?" Allen asked.

"Wait until the end. They'll hand out the awards then. Meanwhile, we hang out here and can stuff our faces with complimentary goodies."

The acting didn't take long, maybe an hour and a half. Everyone lined up in reverse order of the sheets. Allen was the last in line for his section.

After what felt like forever, Allen finally reached the curtain backstage. He saw all three judges standing next to a table that had been set up. The table was covered with trophies of different sizes and shapes.

"First place for the Physical performances goes to Allen Walker!" the announcer shouted.

There were shouts and whistles from the audience as Allen walked across the stage. He shook each of the judges' hands before receiving first place.

"Wow, you were really popular," Lenalee commented. "I don't think I've ever heard cheers that loud."

"Will everyone come back on for one final bow?" the announcer asked.

Everyone did as they were asked. Allen and the other people who got first place were pushed up to the front. They bowed once more, and the curtains closed.

* * *

**1** In the drama club at my school, it's practically a competition to come up with the worst fate humanly possible to wish people rather than 'Good Luck' or 'Break a leg.'

**2** Another tradition in my drama club. Yell at the idiot who wishes you 'Good luck.'

All righty! Thank you for reading! As always, tell me what you think. Feel free to tell me if I made any errors, as always.


	8. Christmas

**Chapter 8: Christmas**

"Three... two... one... BREAK!!!!!" The class shouted just as the bell rang.

Cloud-Nine sighed and closed her math book. "All right everyone, enjoy your break. Make sure to study." Everyone groaned. "Fine, fail your Mid-terms." Again, a groan. No one wanted to think of the tests that were a few weeks after they returned.

Allen grabbed his things and waited for everyone else to get through the door into the crowded hallway. He, for once, wasn't in a rush. There was no club meeting, nor did he have work.

"Allen!" Lenalee called, waving from the other side of the hall. Allen pushed through the crowd of students trying to get out of there. "So, any plans for the holidays?" she asked.

"Well... _I_ don't have any." Allen stressed the _I_, and Lenalee knew it meant Cross was probably ditching him again. The throng of students started thinning, and Allen and Lenalee were able to walk side by side. "I was pretty much going to sit around and, I dunno, study."

"You can't just study over break!" Lavi said, clapping Allen on the shoulder. "That defeats the whole purpose!"

"There's not much I can do over break," Allen replied. "General Cross isn't going to be home because he has his own plans, so I'll be by myself. You can't really have a party with just one person."

"Then you can come over my house for Christmas!" Lenalee said with a sweet smile. "Komui won't mind, and it does get pretty lonely with just the two of us. Besides, I have a present for you."

Allen's eyes widened. "Ah! That's not... you didn't have to!" he said, waving his hands furiously in embarrassment.

"Think of it as a Birthday-Christmas present combined."

"But I didn't get you anything..." Allen admitted.

"That's fine." Lenalee continued to walk, but stopped when she realized Allen wasn't moving. "Allen, you don't have to get me anything."

"But..."

"No buts, Allen."

Lavi took the chance to leave. He wasn't about to get involved in an argument between those two. That could be dangerous for his health. "Gotta go! Gramps wanted me home right away! See ya!" He zipped away, easily dodging the few people dragging their feet to leave the almost empty school.

Allen looked away from Lenalee's unwavering gaze. "S-sorry... I just..."

"You don't want a present from me," Lenalee concluded.

"No! I just don't want you to waste money on me..." Allen sighed. "I'm not used to presents. I haven't gotten one since Mana died, and I've never gotten one from a girl..."

"So it's different because I'm a girl?" Lenalee asked, anger apparent in her voice.

"N-no!" Allen said, embarrassment. He couldn't look Lenalee in the eye. He knew he was probably just making things worse. "I... I'm sorry. I'm useless at this. I'm not used to having friends or getting presents or anything like that."

Lenalee's expression softened. "Allen, you're not useless. Don't even _think_ of calling yourself useless again." She reached out and touched his cheek gently. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. It's just so easy to forget that you not used to a lot of things I take for granted, like friends, family..." She smiled and looked him right in the eye. "I'm sorry for getting mad at you for something so stupid."

Allen blushed and had to look away. He was glad no one else was in the halls. They were the last ones there. "I—"

"Hey you two! Head home!"

Both of them spun around to face Lala. Her amused expression told them both she'd heard every word they'd exchanged. "Take your little argument outside so we can lock the school up."

"Sorry for holding you up!" Lenalee said, taking Allen's hand. Still hand-in-hand, they left the building.

"Um..."

Lenalee glanced at Allen, who was still blushing. She tilted her head in minor confusion and then realized she was still holding his hand. She dropped it. "Sorry!" She blushed as well and giggled to herself. "It seems I'm apologizing a lot today..."

They stood together for a moment, an awkward silence between them. After a minute, Lenalee glanced up at Allen, who was still scrutinizing his shoes in an attempt to keep from staring. "So... will you come for Christmas?" she asked.

Allen nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. He said a quick goodbye and tried his best not to make it look like he was running away from her. Of course, he ultimately broke into a run when he thought she couldn't see him anymore. _What's wrong with me?_ He felt Timcanpy land on his head and clung to his hair as he sprinted down the streets.

Few of the last-minute shoppers noticed Allen as he dodged person after person in his rush. No one bothered staring at him because of his white hair or the strange creature on his head; they were all too busy buying food or presents.

Allen slowed and eventually came to a stop, panting. He stared at the Christmas display in the window of a store. He could see beyond it little kids with their parents demanding a stuffed toy in the window or the sled next to it.

Sighing, Allen turned away from the scene and leaned back against the cold glass. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the kids. They had parents who were willing to get them anything they wanted and claim it was from "Santa." They would open a bunch of presents on Christmas and still want more. They would have a birthday later in the year that they would get even more gifts for, unlike Allen. Allen only got one present a year as a child, and now he never got anything. He closed his eyes and chuckled sadly. He was so used to not getting gifts that he always refused them when someone tried to give him one. _I'm pathetic._

Allen heard crunching footsteps approach him and opened his eyes. Everything was a bit hazy, and he realized he'd been crying. He stubbornly rubbed the few tears away and felt a hand pat him on the head.

"Chomesuke-san!" he said, surprised. "What are—?"

"You look cold," the baker commented. She took Allen's arm and dragged him into her shop. "Warm up a bit before you catch a cold. No one wants a cold for Christmas." She laughed and started cleaning the empty glass cases that normally housed delicious sweets.

"Wouldn't be much different from any other year," Allen muttered, brushing the snow off his shoulders.

"Really?" Chimesuke asked, finishing with the cases and reaching for the broom in the corner. She was silent a while as she swept up the crumbs all over the floor. "So what's your family doing for Christmas?"

"I'm going to a friend's for Christmas and the general's going to his girlfriend's, I think."

Chomesuke smiled. Allen had told her about Cross during his last visit. "I see... So the deadbeat's not getting you anything, I assume?"

"He never does." Allen sat down at one of the tables.

"Sounds about right," Chomesuke replied. She paused in her sweeping. "Hey, Allen, mind grabbing that box?"

"What box?" Allen glanced around the bakery.

"The one in the cake case. The person hasn't picked it up yet."

Allen walked over to the case and retrieved the small, white box tied up in a red and green ribbon. Out of curiosity, he glanced at the tag. He almost dropped it when it had his name on it.

"Merry Christmas, Allen-kun," Chomesuke said with a grin. "I had a feeling the deadbeat wouldn't give ya anything, so I decided to give ya something you'd really like. You can open it now," she added, still grinning.

Allen untied the ribbon and laughed. It was a stack of gingerbread cookies, all shaped and frosted to look like the gold golem sitting on his head. "Thank you, Chomesuke-san."

Chomesuke set the broom down and walked over to where Allen stood. "Should I ask what the waterworks are for?"

"Eh?" Allen hadn't realized he was crying again. As before, he rubbed away the tears. "I guess it's just been a trying day."

"Wanna talk about it," Chomesuke asked, "or is it private teenaged guy stuff that a woman old enough to be your mom shouldn't know?"

"I... got in a stupid argument with my friend because she got me a Christmas present and I had nothing for her."

"Lemme guess, _you_ were the one who didn't want the present 'cause you had nothing for her." When Allen nodded, Chomesuke rolled her eyes. "Ever think she just wants to give you something to make you happy?"

"But... I want to get _her_ something, too..."

Chomesuke thought for a moment, then smiled. "Try writing a poem or something."

"What...? That doesn't—"

"Girls are suckers for poems, trust me," Chomesuke winked. "Or, if ya don't want to be sappy like that, try drawing something or..." and here she clapped her hands together in excitement, "you can go to her house and build her a snowman! Heaven knows there's enough snow here for something like that."

"I know you're trying to help, but..."

Chomesuke frowned. "Oh, I get it. This girl's a _friend_ friend, not a _girl_friend."

Allen's face turned bright red. "Y-you thought she was my girlfriend?!"

"I should've known. You're waaaaay too shy to ask a girl out on a date." Chomesuke held her chin and thought for a moment, completely ignoring Allen's embarrassed stuttering. "Ah! I know!" She ran into her back room and returned a few moments later with a box of bread ornaments. "Here, you can have these."

"What are...?"

"You can make ornaments out of a bread to hang on your trees outside," Chomesuke explained. "They attract all kinds of birds that hang around during the winter, cardinals especially. No girl I've ever met hates cardinals."

Allen looked at the bread she'd given him. Some were shaped like candy canes, others like gingerbread men, and still others shaped like angels. All of them had different kinds of birdseed in various patterns stuck on with what looked like peanut butter. "Do you really think she'd like these?" he asked dubiously.

"When you find a girl who doesn't like birds, introduce me," Chomesuke stated matter-of-factly. "Just wrap it up pretty and make a card and she'll love it. Now get going. I gotta finish closing up shop." She pushed him out the door and back into the snowy wonderland outside. "Merry Christmas," she said before closing the door behind him.

"Merry Christmas," he called back, but he wasn't sure she heard him. In much higher spirits, Allen headed home carrying all the gifts.

"Someone went shopping today," Cross commented when Allen walked in the door.

"Oh, you're home?" Allen asked, putting the boxes down on the table. "Actually, one's a Christmas gift for me and the other's something for a friend." He started digging through the drawers for a pen and sat at the table.

"Now what're you doing?" It was obvious by his tone that he wasn't really interested. He sipped his wine.

"Making a card," Allen replied, sitting at the table and attempting to draw a Christmas tree. He failed miserably, so he tossed the paper. After a few failed attempts at drawing everything from a star to a tree to reindeer, Allen laid his head down on the table in defeat. He sucked at drawing.

Cross smirked, and grabbed the paper. A few pen strokes later, and he handed back a well-drawn Christmas tree with presents underneath and a star on top. "Have fun," he said, grabbing his coat.

"Where're you going?" Allen asked.

Cross didn't answer. He just walked out the door and left Allen by himself.

Allen turned back to his card and frowned. He didn't want to write just "Merry Christmas" or something simple like that inside. He thought a few minutes and then wrote the message.

* * *

"Komui! Do we have any eggs?" Lenalee called.

"Why do we need eggs?" Komui asked sleepily. She'd just woken him from a nap.

"Because I'm baking a cake," Lenalee replied, raising an eyebrow.

"A cake? What kind of cake?"

"A birthday cake." Lenalee went back to the kitchen and dug around the icebox until she found what she was looking for.

"Why a birthday cake? Lessee... It's not my birthday, and you wouldn't be baking a cake for your own birthday..." Komui ran through a mental list of dates. Far as he knew, the only important thing coming up was Christmas. "Who's it for?"

"Allen," Lenalee replied, putting the eggs next to the other ingredients. After a brief mental checklist to make sure everything was there, she set to work.

"Why Allen?" Komui was getting nervous. Lenalee humming and baking a cake for someone. To Komui, that wasn't a good sign.

"Because his birthday's on Christmas." Lenalee paused in her mixing and glanced over her shoulder at her brother. "Oh, and by the way, I invited Allen and a couple other friends over for Christmas."

Komui opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish out of water. "But Lenalee!" he half-sobbed. "I don't wanna share my sister on Christmas!"

"You'll get me all morning," Lenalee said calmly. "They aren't coming until afternoon." She finished with the batter and checked the oven.

"Lenalee! I never said you could have friends over!"

"You did yesterday," Lenalee commented. She poured the batter into some cake pans and put them in the oven. "I asked you if I could invite some friends over, remember?" Of course, she'd asked him while he was half-asleep and would think twice about who those friends might be. That was her secret to getting anything done without Komui's objecting to it: smile and ask him before he's had coffee.**1**

"Lenalee!" Komui sobbed. "Don't be mean to your older brother!"

"I'm not being mean," Lenalee replied. She flopped into one of the kitchen chairs and sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I got you something you'll really like for Christmas."

Komui sniffed. "Really?"

"Yes, I did." Another secret talent Lenalee had was calming her brother down almost instantly. "You'll absolutely love it."

Komui's face brightened. The tears were completely gone in a matter of seconds. "Well, we'll have a full house for Christmas!" he said happily. He practically skipped out of the room. "I better clean up! Komlin!"

Lenalee rolled her eyes. Komui just wanted to play with his robots. Again. _Well, he can get away with it today,_ she thought. _It is almost Christmas, after all._

* * *

Allen took a few deep breaths. He was standing in front of Lenalee's house, holding the present and card. _Maybe I should just go home,_ he thought miserably. He was so nervous, he felt sick. He had no idea why, though.

"You gonna open the door or are ya just gonna stand there all day?"

Allen spun around. "Oh, Lavi. What're you doing here?"

"Lenalee invited me to her Christmas bash, too," Lavi explained. He frowned. "Allen, you feelin' all right? Ya look a little pale."

"Ah, I'm fine," Allen said with a nervous laugh. "You just surprised me."

Lavi shrugged and pushed past Allen to knock on the door. Before he even touched it, the door swung open.

"Merry Christmas!" Lenalee said excitedly. She moved aside to let Lavi and Allen come inside. "Miranda's already here, so we can get this party started."

_Oh good, it's not just me here_. Allen glanced around the bright hall as they walked to the sitting room in the back. His jaw dropped at the sight.

The sitting room was lit up a huge tree in the middle of the room. Underneath were a couple presents wrapped in bright paper.

Lenalee noticed Allen's surprise and smiled. "You've never seen a Christmas tree before?"

Allen blinked. "Er... well... This is the first one I've seen _inside_," he admitted. He'd seen plenty decked out for Christmas in town squares when he'd traveled around with his father.

Lenalee laughed. Then she noticed the box in Allen's hand. "Why don't you put that under the tree and we'll get some cake?"

Allen placed the present down. "Why cake?" he asked, hoping the answer wasn't what he thought it would be.

"It's your birthday, of course! You can't have a birthday without cake!" Lenalee said with a smile. "Miranda! We're gonna have cake now!"

Allen had been so busy staring at the tree that he hadn't noticed their friend sitting on the couch on the other side of the room. "Merry Christmas, Miranda," Allen said politely.

"Happy birthday," Miranda replied with a smile that almost seemed forced on her usually brooding face. She turned to Lenalee. "It was awfully nice of you to go through the trouble to invite me, too. Usually I just end up ruining parties by knocking down decorations or making everyone feel depressed."

"It's no trouble, Miranda," Lenalee said, leading them to the kitchen. "You're our friend and we like you around. Right, Lavi?"

"Right," Lavi said, putting an arm around Miranda's shoulders. "You're never any trouble 'cause we're all buddies!"

Allen chuckled and covered his mouth to disguise the laugh as a cough. In the time they'd known Miranda, the depressed Exorcist had really grown on them. Like the others, it was hard to picture a school day without Miranda tripping in the halls and apologize like a mad woman for a simple mistake. Despite her shortcomings, she was a true blue friend, and Allen knew he could rely on her just as he always did on Lenalee and Lavi if things turned sour.

"Allen, close your eyes."

Allen did as Lenalee asked. He felt her lead him into the kitchen and sit him down in a chair at the table.

"All right, now open."

Again, Allen did as Lenalee asked. The lights in the kitchen were off, but the soft glow of candles illuminated a big, frosted cake. "L-Lenalee... Did you... _make_ this?" he asked.

"Of course," Lenalee said with a laugh. "And don't say I shouldn't have," she added before Allen could say anything.

"I wasn't going to say that," Allen lied. She knew him too well. She knew he would try to say she shouldn't have gone through the trouble for him. She knew he was a lot like Miranda in that respect.

"One, two, three!" Lavi counted off, and they all sang Happy Birthday for Allen. Allen stared at the cake the whole time they sang, trying to avoid looking at any of his friends. He wasn't used to this sort of thing at all. Even when he'd been a kid with Mana, he never gotten a cake or anything like this.

"Blow out the candles and make a wish," Lenalee encouraged when the song was over. "Make sure it's a good one! You're birthday only comes once a year, after all."

Allen didn't have to think about his wish. _I wish I could stay here a really long time,_ he thought as he blew out all the candles in one breath. _I wish Cross wouldn't decide we have to move away again._ Allen wasn't sure if he could make two wishes, but he doubted it really mattered. Both were pretty much the same wish, after all.

"So what'd ya wish for?" Lavi asked, being his usual, need-to-know-everything self.

"Don't tell him or your wish won't come true," Lenalee warned. She took the candles out of the cake. "Allen, which piece do you want?" she asked with a smile.

"Whatever's fine," Allen said.

"I want one with lots of frosting!" Lavi butted in.

"It's Allen birthday, he picks which piece he wants. Everyone else gets what they get."

"But I want the piece with all the chocolate chips!" Komui whined. Allen hadn't realized he was in the kitchen.

Lenalee cut the slices and handed the first to Allen and then the rest to everyone else. "So how's it taste?" she asked when everyone took a bite.

"Like heaven in a cake," Komui said tearfully.

"Anyone besides my biased brother?" she added.

"It's really good," Allen said with a smile. "Best cake I've ever had."

"I'm glad. I was afraid I put too much sugar in it or something."

"It would be even better with more frosting," Lavi said.

Lenalee rolled her eyes. "Lavi, the only way you'd say it's a perfect cake is if there was no cake and only frosting."

"Not my fault frosting's the best part,"**2** Lavi muttered before licking the chocolate frosting from his fork.

"What do you think, Miranda?" Allen asked. She probably felt left out of the conversation at the moment.

"It's the most delicious cake ever," she sobbed. "I feel so unworthy!"

"M-Miranda, it's just a cake!" Lenalee said, casting around her brain for some way to calm their friend down. "I know! How about I teach you how to make one just like it?"

Miranda sniffed loudly. "I'll just mess it up. The last time I made anything, I burnt the water..."

"How do you burn water?" Lavi asked Allen, who shrugged.

Lenalee patted Miranda's shoulder. "Don't worry, everyone has something they're good at and bad at. I just happen to be a good cook it all. You're good at something too."

"All I can do is put things back together..." Miranda muttered through her tears.

"See? That's something!" Lavi said with a grin. "Anyway, let's open presents! I know I saw a big one with your name on it, Miranda!"

"I don't deserve friends like you," Miranda said while Lavi took her hand and marched her back to the sitting room.

"Don't say that," Lenalee said, picking up a box with Miranda's name on it. "You're our friend, and that's that, all right? Now smile, it's Christmas." She handed the brightly wrapped box to Miranda. She then handed another present to Lavi and then a smaller box to Allen. "All right, now open them!"

"Beautiful," Miranda said, eyes wide. Inside her box was a small watch. "You shouldn't have, Lenalee."

"You're always spazzing out about the time," Lenalee said with a laugh. "I figured a watch would help you out a lot."

"Sweet!" Lavi shouted when he tore the paper off a history book. "I've been lookin' for this one! Where'd you find it?"

Lenalee didn't answer Lavi's question, though. She was absorbed in watching Allen open his gift.

Allen slowly unwrapped the paper to reveal a small, black box. He opened it and almost dropped the present in surprise. Inside the box on dark velvet was a gold cross necklace. Allen lifted the glinting gold from the box, still in shock. "L-Lenalee... I..."

"Happy birthday and merry Christmas," she said.

"I can't accept something like this!" Allen managed to say. "It's too nice... It must have cost a fortune! I can't let you give me something like—"

Lenalee smiled. "I knew you'd say something like that. I found it at a second hand store for five pounds."

Allen stared at the stunning necklace. "You really want me to have this?"

"I wrapped it up for you, didn't I?" Lenalee took the necklace from his hand and clasped it around his neck. "It's supposed to be good luck. Keep it with you, okay?"

Allen didn't know why, but he couldn't say no to Lenalee. "Thank you..." he said in barely a whisper. "Now I feel guilty that I didn't get you something better..."

Lenalee raised an eyebrow at him. "I told you already. You didn't have to get me anything. I know money's tight for you."

"I _wanted_ to give you something."

"All right," she said, picking up Allen's gift and opening it. She read the card out loud. "Merry Christmas, Lenalee. I hope you get everything you want and more." Allen was thankful she didn't read the rest for everyone to hear. He'd written a small apology for their silly fight and for his lame present at the bottom.

Lenalee lifted one of the bird feeders from the box. "Hey! I saw these at Kogane Bakery! Chomesuke-san said they were all sold out!" She put the box and feeder aside and hugged Allen. "Thank you very much! These things always attract the best song birds!"

Allen blushed. "I... er... Chomesuke-san just handed these to me when I told her the other day I didn't have a present and said to give them to you..."

Lenalee laughed. "That sounds just like her. Anyway, thank you. I really appreciate—Lavi! What are you doing?"

"Mistletoe. Ya gotta kiss!" Lavi teased, shaking the small plant above Allen and Lenalee's head. "Come on, you guys know the rules."

"NO!!!!!!" Komui cried from the other side of the room. He tried to take the mistletoe out of Lavi's hand, but the redhead held him at arm's length. "Lenalee! You don't have to..."

"Lavi, leave Komui alone and—" Allen stopped short when Lenalee kissed him. It was just a simple peck on the cheek, but it was enough to make Allen's heart skip a beat. "L-Lenalee?"

But she wasn't paying any attention to him at the moment. She snatched the mistletoe out of Lavi's hand and let her brother chase him around. She put the mistletoe down on a nearby table and smiled at Miranda and Allen. "How about we go outside and build some snowmen or something and leave these two?"

Allen nodded, still confused. It wasn't the kiss that was bothering him, though. It was his heart, which was still pounding. _What does it mean?_

_

* * *

_

**1** Warning: Only works with certain people. Some might try to bite you if you talk to them before coffee.

**2** I have a friend with a frosting/whipped cream addiction. Seriously, she needs to have one of the corner pieces of square cakes in order to get the most frosting. Lavi's being a frosting fan is sort of a joke for her if she reads it. lol

Thank you for reading the chapter, even though it was probably very rushed and cheesy. XP I wanted to get it up before the end of break and before my brother steals the computer away from me again.

Why didn't I just write it before Christmas? Well, here are my (relatively) lame excuses:

1. My birthday was on December 21 (wish me happy birthday!)

2. Holidays

3. Computer virus (lost all my pics, emails, and address book)

Thanks again for reading!


	9. Count Krory

**Chapter 9: Count Krory**

Allen could barely focus during Midterm week. Any time he had free time to study, his mind would wander back to Lenalee's kiss over break. It had been a simple peck on the cheek under mistletoe! Why couldn't he get it out of his mind and focus on what mattered: studying.

He knew the nature of his scholarship. Being an Exorcist got him free lunch and a minor discount from school fees, but Black Order Academy was still a private school. He'd gotten a scholarship for the rest of the money on the stipulation he kept his grades up. Komui had excused his rather low grades first quarter because of the newspaper incident, but Allen knew there wasn't any excuse for second quarter. He'd barely scraped by grade-wise, so he couldn't afford to get distracted and fail midterms.

At least his last midterm, Ceramics, had been easy. Tiedoll was a firm believer that tests were useless, so they put together a little "art show" for the parents instead. Allen knew Cross wouldn't show up for the show, but he put his display together anyway.

Over all, Allen thought he passed. He might not have been a shining student, but he knew he'd done well enough to keep his scholarship. He hadn't been told he'd flunked out of school, at least. That was a good sign.

When Allen walked into Chemistry the Monday after, his sense of security was shattered. Allen was, as always, the last called for attendance, but Reever set down his logbook and added, "Komui wanted to see you. Please head to the office now."

A couple Finders giggled when Allen grabbed his things and left the room. The hallways were empty except for the few stragglers who were late. They looked up from their lockers, but their need to get to class outweighed their curiosity and they returned to gathering their materials.

"Good morning, Allen!" Komui said brightly when he entered the office. "Did Reever tell you why you're here?"

"Um... No," Allen muttered.

Komui chuckled and shuffled through a few papers. "You don't have a schedule set for this semester," he explained. "We didn't realize that until we were mailing them. That's why you never got anything."

Allen blinked. And here he'd feared the worst! "So I just have to sign up for stuff?"

"Pretty much," Komui said, nodding to 65. "Talk to 65. He'll get everything set up for you." Komui hesitated a moment, then asked, "So how are things going for you? No problems?"

"Not lately," Allen replied. "Why?"

"Well," Komui chewed his lip. "We have a new Exorcist, and I was wondering if you wanted to show him around. His name's Arystar Krory. He's talking to Hevlaska at the moment, so..."

"Sure, I can do that." Something struck him as odd about this arrangement, though. "But... Don't Lenalee and Lala help new students?"

"Lala only gets them to the office so we can get them a student to help them around," Komui explained, "and Lenalee's... a little under the weather today. Not enough sleep, I think..." He shrugged. "Anyway, go fix your schedule with 65 and I'll let you meet Arystar."

Allen nodded and talked out his schedule with 65. After about five minutes of going over what was available for him to take, Allen ended up taking a music class to replace his study hall third period, a cooking class fourth period, and money management sixth.

Once that was taken care of, Komui ushered Allen into the room where Hevlaska was talking to Arystar.

The boy Allen was to show around was taller than Allen and a little lanky. He was pale, like he hadn't seen the sun very much. His hair was dark except for his bangs, which were pure white. He had pointed ears and reminded Allen of a vampire.

The boy came closer and stuttered a quick introduction. "I-I'm Arystar K-Krory."

Allen took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. I'm Allen Walker." He glanced at the schedule in Arystar's hand. "What do you have first period?"

"Oh!" Arystar looked at the schedule. "Um... Chemistry..."

"That's where I'm headed, actually." Allen signaled for the new student to follow him.

The halls this time were completely barren, which made getting to Chemistry much faster than usual. When they entered the room, Reever was just finishing up notes for the class.

"You two will have to copy from someone else," Reever said, closing the book he'd been instructing from. "Anyone else have any questions?"

No one did, as always. With three minutes to spare, Reever signaled for Allen to sit down and for Arystar to stay at the front of the room. "Class, we have a new student. Arystar? Want to introduce yourself?"

The Exorcist nodded. "I-I'm Arystar Krory. Um... I'm sixteen-years-old."**1** He seemed rather nervous, like he'd never spoken to so many people. "I-I enjoy gardening and collecting thing..."

"Like what?" one of the Finders asked.

"Um... Plants... books... Just about anything, I guess..."

Allen wasn't paying much attention to Arystar's talking now. He was more worried about Lenalee a few desks away. She looked a little paler than usual and was holding her stomach. _Why doesn't she just go home?_ he thought, watching her even as the bell rang.

"Um... Allen..."

Allen turned to Arystar. "Sorry," he said quickly, collecting his things. "Um, what do you have next?" He glanced over at Lenalee, who was a little slower than usual in gathering her things together.

"English with Yeeger," Arystar replied.

That wasn't too far from the class they were in. "Arystar, can you hold on a second?" Allen asked, but didn't wait for a response. He'd already closed the few feet between him and Lenalee. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Fine," Lenalee replied. Her smile didn't reach her eyes though. "I think I just picked up a bug, nothing to miss school over." She finished collecting her things. "See you later, Allen!"

"Is she your... girlfriend?" Arystar asked.

"No!" Allen said quickly. "We're j-just friends!" He grabbed his charge's arm and pulled him along. "L-let's go before we're late!"

As always, Allen had to fight his way through the other students to get to his next class. No one ever seemed to be going in the same direction as him, and when he tried to follow someone who was, they'd turn off into a classroom and leave him on his own to push forward. It didn't help to be pulling a new student behind him. How Lenalee ever managed with him his first day, he didn't know.

They reached the class just before the bell rang. Yeeger told Allen to go to his seat and Arystar was once again asked to tell the class about himself. This went just as well as the first time and ended with him sitting down next to Allen with the class giggling.

Class went the same as it ever did, and the bell at last rang, releasing them to third period. Allen led Krory to his class, History, and then had to find his way to his new class, Music Theory. It was down a hallway Allen hadn't ever been down, and he almost missed it. If he hadn't spotted Lala heading down that hallway, he'd have walked right past it.

The music room was large and semi-circular. Allen noticed lockers on the side contained various cases for instruments Allen couldn't identify. Along the free walls were xylophones and other instruments Allen assumed were for anyone to use. There were chairs with an attached desk that could be swung around and out of the way in curved rows. Most of the students were already sitting down, so Allen took the last free seat, which was next to the seat at the end.

"Good morning, Walker."

"Oh, good morn—" Allen stopped mid-greeting when he recognized the person he was sitting next to. It was Howard Link, the one who'd helped Lvellie ruin Allen's reputation.

Link smiled and offered a hand. "I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Howard Link. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Allen was confused. The other boy seemed almost friendly. If it weren't for the fact he and Lvellie had published that article about him, Allen probably would have liked Link. "Um... Nice to meet you, too?"

"All right, everyone!" Lala called from the front of the class. The chatter died instantly. "Welcome to Music Theory and Appreciation! In this class, we'll be listening to music from different time periods and places. I'll also teach you all how to play a couple easy instruments and how to sing. If you hate music or don't have an open mind, I suggest going to the office and switching classes." She paused, waiting for those who didn't want the class to leave. Since no one did, she continued, "Great! I want everyone to be friends in this class, even if you can't stand each other otherwise, so I want everyone to say their name, what instrument they play if they play any or what they're favorite instrument is if they don't, and an interesting fact about them. I'll start, and then it'll continue down the rows.

"I'm Lala, but most of you know that already. My favorite instrument would have to be the harp, though I enjoy singing most of all, and an interesting fact about me is that I'm a living doll created by Komui."**2** She pointed to the person at the end of the row, and the questions continued.

It reached Allen at last. He stood like the others had and quickly introduced himself. "I'm Allen Walker. I... don't play any instruments and I've never really had an opportunity to hear many, so I don't really have a favorite either. Um... Interesting fact about me... I used to be a clown when I was a kid."

A couple people whispered to each other. Allen knew they wanted to hear about his scar or strange hair color, not about what he did as a child, or maybe they wanted to hear about his "Noah" father. Either way, Allen didn't want to tell them. It wasn't like that was any of their business, anyway.

Howard Link stood next. "I'm Howard Link. I enjoy listening to pipe organ music. I want to one day become a pastry chef." He sat down after his rather brief profile.

The introductions continued until the entire class had gone. That led to some free time, since they only had four minutes until the bell after their introductions.

"Allen!" Lala called, gesturing for Allen to come over to the large grand piano. She took him by the shoulders and forced him to sit on the piano bench. She sat next to him. "You said you haven't heard many instruments?"

"Yes," Allen replied, not quite sure what she was getting at.

Lala played a few notes on the piano. "Lenalee mentioned that you liked the piano."

"Er... Yes, when Marie played it the one time."

Lala played a few more notes, this time playing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," a tune Allen was all too familiar with. "Want me to teach you how to play it?"

"No, that's okay," Allen said. "I don't really have the time to learn."

"The music wing is always open," Lala pointed out. "I'm a doll, so it's not like I need breaks or weekends." She smiled. "If you can't come after school, I'm free for private lessons on Saturday."

Allen's heart sank. Lala wasn't about to take no for an answer. "I don't have money—"

"The cost is included in tuition, which you have a full-paid scholarship for, if I remember correctly." Lala tilted her head thoughtfully. "How about just one lesson. If you don't like playing, you can stop."

The bell rang, and Allen stood to leave. "Think it over!" Lala called after him.

Allen nodded and went to Arystar's class. Allen then dropped him off at his next class, Math. Allen then ran over to _his_ next class, Cooking.

"Hello!" Jerry called to the door. "Have a seat at one of the tables, Allen sweetie!" The class giggled. Apparently, Jerry embarrassed those who were late.

Allen sat next to Lenalee, who was at a table with Miranda and Lavi. She looked even worse than she had that morning, and she was still gripping her stomach. "Maybe you should go home, Lenalee," Allen suggested. "You really don't look well."

"I'll be fine," Lenalee muttered.

"Ya know, Allen's right," Lavi said. He glanced at Jerry, who seemed to be preparing some demonstration, and turned back to Lenalee. He touched her forehead. "You're a bit warm..."

Lenalee smiled weakly. "Remember the last time I was sick?"

"Right..." Lavi laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. He still watched Lenalee worriedly.

"What happened?" Miranda asked.

"You don't want to know." Lavi leaned back in his chair.

"I'll go home if I still don't feel well after lunch," Lenalee promised.

"I'd say head home now." Allen was getting worried. She really didn't look well.

Lenalee shook her head. She winced and gripped her side again. Allen could understand why she was being so stubborn, but if she was in that much pain, she should see a doctor.

"All right, everyone!" Jerry said, drawing their attention back to what he was saying. "Check your bake-ware cabinet and make sure everything you need is in there!" He handed every table a sheet of paper with a list of cookware. "All right, now get to it."

Lenalee went to stand, but Allen pushed her back down into her seat. "We'll handle it," he said. Lenalee nodded and rested her head on her arms on the table.

It didn't take long to sort through the cabinet and make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. They ended up spending the last five minutes sitting at their table and waiting for the bell to ring.

Even though the bell rang and he needed to go help Arystar, Allen didn't want to leave Lenalee alone. She looked worse than she did at the start of class. She was still gripping her stomach, even as she stood to leave.

"I'll keep an eye on her," Lavi whispered. He knew exactly what Allen was thinking. "You go help the new kid."

Allen nodded. "I'll be at lunch in a few," he said before dashing into the hall and pushing past people. He was really worried about Lenalee, so worried that he didn't want to leave her on her own for any length of time. She was important to him. Very important.

"Allen, you look out of breath," Arystar commented when Allen arrived.

"S-sorry," Allen panted. "Where do you have to go next?"

"Lunch."

"Then let's go." Allen led Arystar through the hallways. Everyone was pretty much in his or her classes, so it was easy to get to the cafeteria. The bell rang just as they entered.

"Over here!" Lavi shouted.

The cafeteria had two types of tables: small round ones seating four people and a few long rectangular ones that sat eight. This semester, Lavi had been able to snag one of the larger tables and was waving them over. Kanda, Daisya, Marie, Lenalee, and Miranda were sitting with him.

Allen sat next to Lavi and Lenalee, who was somehow looking even worse than she had a few moments before. Arystar, meanwhile, sat between Marie and Miranda on the other side of the table.

"So," Lavi started conversationally, "you're the new Exorcist, right? I'm Lavi, nice ta meet you, Count Krory."

Arystar blushed. "Um... M-my grandfather's the count. I'd rather not be called that..."

"A count? Really?" Miranda's eyes widened in shock. "That's amazing! I've never met a count before and—"

"It's not a big deal, really," Lavi said, slurping his noodle soup. "There are a couple Finders that have important relatives. It's what's expected of an academy like this." He grinned. "'Course, none of them are Exorcists like Krory."

"A-Arystar's fine," Arystar mumbled, even more embarrassed.

Once again, Allen wasn't paying attention to the current conversation. He was watching Lenalee pick at her lunch and then push it aside.

"Want me to help you to the nurse?" Allen asked quietly. The others were too busy talking with Arystar to notice him talking to Lenalee.

Lenalee gripped her side again. "I can get there on my own," she said. She stood up and left the cafeteria, dragging her feet as she went.

"Lenalee finally decide to go home?" Lavi asked, watching Lenalee leave.

"Yeah."

"Good," Lavi said, finishing his soup. "She's been looking terrible all morning."

"Um... do you think Lenalee will be all right?" Miranda asked.

"She probably just has the flu." Lavi frowned. "Though... she was holding her side..." He looked thoughtful a minute, then shrugged. "Probably nothing."

"What do you think it is?" Allen asked seriously.

"She wouldn't've come to school if it was what I was thinking," Lavi said, standing. "Allen, might wanna get your food and all _before_ lunch is over."

"Right," Allen muttered. He took one last look at where Lenalee had left from, and then headed to the cafeteria line.

* * *

**1 **I changed Krory's age to make life easier in the AU known as Black Order Academy. He's actually twenty-eight in the manga, but we can't exactly have a twenty-eight-year-old in high school, so I adjusted his age.

**2** I realize Komui didn't create Lala, but it's the only way it works into the story.

Ending it there for today. Hope you liked the chapter at least a little. I know it's a rather uneventful chapter, but what I really wanted was Krory to show up and to have Lenalee not feel well for _next_ chapter. Hopefully I'll have time to write the next chapter for you all. Sorry if this chapter seemed a little more rushed than usual.

Thank you for reading! Oh, and could you please check out my new one-shot "Before I was Me"? It's all about Lavi. It's good. Honest.


	10. Hospital

**Chapter 10: Hospital**

Lenalee wasn't at school all day. Allen stopped by the office to see if anyone there had heard what happened, but no one seemed to know. By the end of the day, Allen was getting worried.

"You can always visit to check up on her," Lavi pointed out to Allen at his locker. "Take her homework and all that, ya know? That way, Komui won't kill you."

Allen nodded. He'd been trusted with all of Lenalee's homework and was supposed to deliver it to her anyway. "You think she's home sick?"

"She has to be," Lavi said with a shrug. "She'd never skip school."

They left school together and walked to Lenalee's house. Lavi was going too slow for Allen. _Why can't he walk faster?_ Allen thought, jogging despite the deep snow.

"She's not going anywhere," Lavi said, not speeding up his pace.

"But..."

"She's not going anywhere," Lavi repeated.

They reached the house, and Allen knocked on the door. When no one answered, Allen knocked again, a little less patiently this time. Again, no one answered.

"Maybe they're not home?" Lavi offered.

"Are you looking for the Lees?"

Allen and Lavi turned. The woman who spoke frowned and nodded to the house. "An ambulance came last night. I'd assume they're both at the hospital."

"H-hospital?!" Allen repeated, wide-eyed.

"Yes. I hope everything's all right." The woman looked thoughtful a moment. "I saw the younger Lee come home early yesterday with the older..."

"Thank you, ma'am," Lavi said, taking Allen's arm. "We'll be going now."

Lavi dragged him down to the street and hailed a cab. The cab driver reigned his horse in right in front of the two and opened the door.**1** Lavi pulled Allen into the cab told the driver to go to the hospital.

"There's no need to be so worried," Lavi said gently. "I'm sure things are fine, 'specially if Lenalee's in the hospital."

"I don't see your logic," Allen muttered. He balled his hands into fists in his lap. He knew what hospitals meant. They meant sickness and death. Mana had _died_ in a hospital. That's all hospitals were: a place to go if you were sick or dying.

Lavi practically read his mind. "Allen, Lenalee's not gonna die. She's just sick."

"But..."

Again, Lavi interrupted him. "This isn't like when you were a kid. Everything's gonna be fine. You'll see."

The cab stopped outside the hospital and Lavi paid the driver. Lavi walked a few steps toward the hospital, but stopped when he realized Allen wasn't moving.

"You okay?" he asked. Allen looked pale, almost as bad as he had the day they'd seen him in his room that day back in October.

"Y-yeah... I... don't like hospitals."

Lavi patted Allen's shoulder. "I understand completely." He gave Allen a small push to get him walking. "Best way to get over your fears is to face 'em, right?"

"Right," Allen replied nervously. Before he'd been hurrying to see Lenalee; now, he was practically frozen in place and unable to move.

Once inside, Allen had a sinking feeling in his stomach not unlike the feeling he got before the first snowfall. His scar throbbed painfully while Lavi asked the person at the front desk about Lenalee's room. Allen touched his scar and winced as if it was really hurting.

"Okay, Lenalee's in room—What's up?" Lavi asked.

"N-nothing," Allen muttered, "I don't think."

Lavi took Allen's one arm and led him to the stairway, away from prying eyes. He then pulled Allen's hand away from his eye and scar, poked it himself, and showed Allen his clean hand. "No blood," the redhead stated simply.

"What?"

"You were having a flashback, right? There's no blood. _You're_ not here because you're hurt. Stop freaking out." Lavi grinned. "I read somewhere that if someone can prove there's nothing wrong with you, it helps."

Allen did feel a little better, even if his scar was still throbbing a little. "Thanks."

They hiked up the stairs to the third floor. It was easy to find Lenalee's room once they were in the right hallway. Komui was in front of the door, blocked by a nurse and begging to be let in. When Allen and Lavi approached, the nurse didn't look away from the sobbing brother.

"Can I help you two?" she asked.

"We're friends of Lenalee," Lavi said, trying to keep a straight face while watching their principal sob hysterically. "We wanted to give her the work she missed and see how she's doing. If now's a bad time, we can come back later."

"Oh no, you two are fine," the nurse replied. "It's this guy I'm worried about." She gestured to Komui, who was still begging. "He's disturbing her and the other patients with his whining." She then stepped aside to let Lavi and Allen into the room but kept a firm hold on Komui.

Once Allen and Lavi were inside the hospital room, the nurse closed the door behind them, muffling Komui's begging and sobbing. The room was rather plain, with off-white walls, a small nightstand with an empty vase (it was middle of winter, after all), and a small window next to the bed.

"Hi!" Lenalee said with a huge grin on her face. "I guess my brother's still out there?"

"He probably hasn't left since you got here," Lavi assured her. He spun when he heard a thump behind him. "Allen!"

Allen's knees had given out and he was sitting on the floor, pale as a sheet and tears rolling down his cheek. "I-I'm okay," he said quietly as Lavi helped him up and over to the chair at Lenalee's bedside.

Lenalee reached out and wiped Allen's tears away for him. "Not a fan of hospitals?" she asked lightly. She smiled when Allen nodded. "But you came anyway?" Again, Allen nodded. "Silly, you didn't have to come see me if you're that scared. I'm perfectly fine, see?"

"But... I was worried that..." Allen started, but stopped. He tried again. "When I heard you were in the hospital..."

Lenalee laughed. "Allen, the fact I'm in a hospital means I'll be fine. The doctors know what they're doing."

"So what was wrong?" Lavi interrupted. "Appendicitis?"

"I had a feeling you'd figure it out," Lenalee said, smiling brightly still. She seemed a little tired, but that wasn't dampening her mood. "They took my appendix out last night. I'll be home by Thursday, but I probably won't go back to school until next week."

"Aw, really?" Lavi pulled the chair from the corner of the room over and sat down. "Reever's gonna be thrilled." When Allen raised an eyebrow at him, Lavi explained, "If Lenalee's out, so's Komui. Not that he does much work when he there anyway..."

"Allen, are you sure you're okay?" Lenalee asked, touching Allen's forehead. "You look pale."

Allen blushed. "Er... Um... It's probably the hospit—" he broke off when he scar throbbed again. "Ouch!" He touched his cheek where the scare ran down it. "—al," h finished.

"Maybe you should head home." Lenalee frowned a little. "If hospitals bother you enough to give you flashbacks..."

"I'm fine," Allen lied.

"Allen, I know you're lying." Lenalee stroked his cheek gently, her fingers brushing lightly over the scar. "I won't mind if you go home. You look terrible. Lavi," she said, turning to the redhead, "could you call Allen a cab?"

Lavi sighed. "Sure. Get well soon, Lenalee." He helped Allen out of the chair and led him out of the room.

Allen took one last look at Lenalee, who smiled and waved from her bed. He felt the color rising in his cheeks again, but it only made him look a little feverish since the rest of his face was paler than usual. _Why...?_

Lavi didn't notice as he led Allen down the stairs and out of the hospital. He waved over a cab and pressed some money into Allen's hand to pay the cab driver when he reached his house. "See ya, Allen!" He waved over his shoulder before walking away.

* * *

Allen was surprised to find Cross sitting at the kitchen table when he arrived home. It was almost five, much earlier than Cross usually got home from his dates with Anita or whatever else he usually did during the day.

Allen sat down in his chair and rest hid forehead against his arms on the table. "What are you doing here?" Whatever his reason, Allen really didn't want to deal with Cross. He still felt sick to his stomach from the hospital visit.

"You're finally here," Cross said, standing up.

Allen heard him walk away, then heard the clink of ceramics on wood. He looked up and stared at the steaming plate and teacup in front of him. "What's—?" But Cross was already gone.

* * *

**1 **The time period DGM takes place in had horse-drawn cabs.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the lack of update! I've been busy with school and other fanfiction, so... yeah...

...Sorry that this chapter is so short. I'll try to make it longer next time.

As always, feel free to correct my typos. I have the tendency to overlook some of the stupidest things. XD


	11. Musician

**Chapter 11: Musician**

Allen stared up at Black Order Academy. He didn't know what possessed him to accept Lala's offer for piano lessons, but here he was for his first lesson.

The door to the building was open, but that was to be expected. He couldn't be the only person getting private lessons, after all. Taking a deep breath, Allen went inside.

It was strange to be in the school without the hallways being crowded. The halls weren't as brightly lit as they usually were during the school day, nor was it as warm. Allen shivered, but not from the cold. The empty school building gave him the heebie-jeebies. He half expected a ghost to appear and scar the living daylights out of him.

These thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an organ playing. Allen was glad the song was lighthearted rather than a dirge. Had it been a melancholy song, he probably would have high-tailed it out of there.

He followed the music to the music room, where Marie sat at the organ. His fingers glided over the keys, making the music seem effortless. Allen closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. He'd heard this song somewhere... somewhere long ago... but he'd never been near a piano, so how could he have heard it? Cross certainly didn't listen to this sort of music.

The song ended, and Lala glanced up. "Allen, I'll be with you in a minute." She turned back to Marie and said, "Good job. You were a little off on that last part, but otherwise, perfect. Keep practicing, all right?"

Once Marie packed up his Braille music—how he could read it, Allen didn't know—Lala turned to him. "Sit at the piano, Allen."

Allen did as Lala said and stared at the piano keys. There were so many. Tentatively, Allen pressed and a crystal clear note played. It was strange; it felt like he'd sat at a piano before, but that couldn't have been. He'd always been traveling with his father, and he knew for a fact they never played music.

"So how much do you know about playing?" Lala asked, shuffling through her things.

"Absolutely nothing," Allen replied meekly. He wasn't sure why he'd shown up. Maybe it was just because Lala had asked him again on Friday to come and had given him a time.

"Well, that's nothing to worry about. Everyone's got to start somewhere." Lala dug around in a cabinet before pulling out a book that had a large treble clef on the cover with the words "Piano for Beginners" next to it. She opened it and set it on the stand.

Allen looked over the music quickly. The dots and dashes somehow looked familiar, even though he'd never seen a score before in his life. "What's...?"

"This is the sheet music," Lala explained. She pointed to each part, saying what it was and what it meant. "See the space between these two lines? That's a measure. The dots and dashes inside are the musical notes. The little letter inside each is what the note's called; they're only there because this is a beginner book." She continued with her explaination**1** until she'd named each part and said what it was for. "Any questions so far?"

When Allen shook his head, she started explaining how to read the music and play the piano itself. Then she showed Allen which keys corresponded with which note. That done, she turned the book to a page with very few notes.

"Try playing this. You don't have to play it fast. Just try to hit the right notes."

Allen nodded and slowly pressed the keys. It was like he'd been playing all his life. He played the song smoothly—though not as smoothly as Marie could have played it—and recognized the tune. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star?" He hadn't read the title to the song before he'd started playing.

"It's a simple enough song," Lala said with a shrug. "Most beginners start with that or others like it." She flipped through the book for another song. "Can you play this one?"

Allen glanced over the music and started playing. This one was a little more difficult, but still came out sounding nice. This time, however, he didn't recognize the tune. The name didn't help either.

Lala then flipped the book to something in the back. "And this?"

Again, Allen glanced over the music and played it. This one didn't come as effortlessly as the others. In fact, he missed quite a few notes and his fingers felt like they were tied up. It came out muddled and unrecognizable.

"Allen, are you sure you've never played before?"

"I've never touched a piano in my life," Allen replied. He stared down at the keys. "I guess those pieces are just really easy."

Lala raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? They aren't expert pieces, but they're difficult for beginners. That last one's the hardest in the book and you still managed to slog through it. Not even Marie was that good on his first try, and he's a prodigy."

Allen felt his face turn crimson. "I-I can't be that good. I-I've never touched a piano before..." But why did that feel like a lie? The keys, the music... everything had been too familiar. "It must be a fluke."

"Fluke or not, you're pretty good at this." Lala picked up the book and flipped through it again, this time her brow creased with a frown. "I may have to get you a harder book."

"I... I have to go."

Lala grabbed his arm before he could leave and handed his the book. "Take this. If you feel like playing anything, you're welcome in the room anytime outside of school hours. Like I said before, I'm always here."

Once Allen was gone, Lala went over to the phone and dialed. "Hello, General Cross? Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but you were right about Allen's talent."

"_Of course I was right,_" Cross grumbled. "_The boy learned how to play years ago. That accident made him forget._"

Lala nodded, then realized the general couldn't see her. "Well, regardless, I don't think his playing will help him remember anything."

"_Heh. It was worth a shot._"

* * *

"So what were you doing at the school on a weekend?"

Allen stopped and turned to see the card shark with thick glasses leaning against the school gates. "Learning piano."

Tyki raised an eyebrow. "You any good?"

"Sort of..."

Tyki smiled and patted Allen on the shoulder. "Gotta believe in yourself a little more, kiddo," he said as he walked past. "Never gonna get anywhere with that attitude."

Allen nodded, then realized something odd. "Tyki, what are you doing here?"

The other boy stopped. "Just looking for something is all." He shrugged and started walking again.

"Hey, hold on!" Allen called. The other boy stopped again. "Um..." Allen had wanted to ask him what he was looking for, but decided against it. "Nevermind. It was good seeing you again."

Tyki grinned. "We'll have to play cards again sometime. I'll wipe the floor with you, Mr. Musician." He waved. "I gotta get going. I've got work."

Allen waved back, then panicked as he heard the clock tower bell start ringing. Now _he_ was late for work!

* * *

When Allen got home that night after work he felt really tired. Cross was nowhere to be found, so Allen just decided to go to bed early and forget about whatever chores the general left for him. Cross could manage to do his own housework for once.

He wasn't sure when he drifted off to sleep, but he knew he was asleep when he opened his eyes again.

He was like a ghost, standing off to the side and watching a scene unfold. There was a small child, perhaps five or six, sitting at a piano bench and playing a rather simple melody. The boy finished and grinned up at the two adults standing on either side of him.

"_How was that, Father?_" he asked the one.

"_Perfect_." The man smiled as the boy looked to the other for praise as well.

"_Your arpeggio was off,_" the other man teased. "_You'll have to work on that next time._"

The boy pouted, then brightened. He turned to his father. "_Can you teach me another song? Pretty please?_"

"_Another time. You have to go to bed._" The father scooped up his son.

"_It's not that late, Father! Please! I wanna stay up—_" his complaints were interrupted by a yawn, "_—longer."_

"_Listen to your father, kiddo," _the other man said, ruffling the child's hair.

"_But Uncle —_" Allen couldn't hear the uncle's name. He saw the boy's mouth move, but couldn't hear the sound that came out.

"_No buts, —_" Again, Allen couldn't hear the name.

The child nodded off right after and the scene went dark.

* * *

Allen was fast asleep and didn't notice Cross walking in a few minutes later with another person behind him.

"Damn, he fell asleep already," Cross muttered. "Sorry, you came all this way and the brat couldn't stay awake."

"Nah, it's fine," the other person said with a quiet laugh. He went back to the kitchen with Cross close behind. "Poor kid. Must've been hard on him when Mana died." He accepted the wineglass Cross handed him.

Cross shrugged and sipped his own wine. "He can't remember much. I thought taking up piano might help, but so far, nothing."

Cross's friend smiled into his glass. "Give him time. Everything'll come back with time. You just have to be patient."

"Patience was your brother's thing. I know you want him remembering too."

The friend laughed and set down his empty glass. "Well, I ought to get going. There's no point to staying if he's not awake or remembering anything."

Cross nodded. "I'll call if anything comes."

"You better."

* * *

**1** I'm a violinist, not a pianist, so excuse me if some things are inaccurate for piano.

Short chapter, I know, but that's all I really could do. It also jumped around a bit. I apologize for that. The two things I wanted to do were too short to really be chapters on their own, so I combined them to make one, slightly longer chapter. Sorry if it disappointed you. It was a bit of a rush job.


	12. Pranks and Memories

**Chapter 12: Pranks and Memories**

_"Father, why do you have to leave?"_ the child asked, looking up at his father. He was older now then he had been when he played the piano before, but not much—maybe only a few years.

_"Your uncle has to move to a smaller place a few miles from here, and I've got to earn a living,"_ the father explained, setting his hands on his son's shoulders. _"I'll be traveling around as a clown. That's what I used to do before I found you. It's not a good life for a child, so I asked your uncle to look after you."_

The child shook his head. _"But I wanna stay with you, Father!"_

_"I'll come to visit,"_ the boy's father promised. _"I'll write letters every week if I can."_

_"But Father—!"_

_"No buts, —."_ The father squeezed his son's shoulders. _"I'll miss you terribly, but I can't take you with me. Now, behave for your uncle and do what he says. And no chocolate for breakfast, no matter what your uncle tells you, understand?"_

_"Yeah, yeah."_ The boy couldn't look his father in the eye anymore. He was on the brink of tears and didn't want him to see.

_"Good boy."_ The father pulled his son into a hug and gave him an extra big squeeze. _"When I come back, you'll have to play something really nice for me on that piano."_ He released the child and patted him on the head. _"I'll be seeing you, —."_

The boy was crying even before his father reached the gate. His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly down at him. The boy buried his face in his uncle's shirt, and the older man petted his head comfortingly. _"It'll be all right. He'll come back, and when he does, he'll teach you every trick he knows and them some, okay?"_

* * *

_BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!!_

Allen smacked his alarm clock sleepily with his deformed hand and curled back up under his blankets like he always did. And like every other school morning, Timcanpy grabbed Allen's blankets in his teeth and ripped them away from the sleepy child. This morning, however, would take a little extra work, the golem soon realized. He landed on Allen's shoulder and bit the boy's hair and pulled as hard as he could.

That worked. Allen shot up and smacked Timcanpy away. "Oh, sorry Tim," he quickly apologized. "Thought it was Cross."

Timcanpy puffed up his chest indignantly, as if to say, "Why would Cross pull your hair?" but Allen ignored the golem as he often did in his rush to get ready for school. Well, he ignored Tim's reaction, at least.

"Tim, I had another weird dream," he said, hacking a comb through his currently unruly hair. Normally it cooperated a little better, but it seemed determined to either stay messy or make him late for school. "It seemed familiar, but not at the same time... I still don't know what that kid's name is, or where he's from or who his father or uncle are..."

The golem tilted his head, which was his whole body, in minor confusion. "Yeah, I guess you wouldn't know much about dreams, huh?" Allen smiled down at Timcanpy. "Guess I'll ask Lavi. He's read a lot of stuff. Maybe he's read something on that dream interpretation." Allen finished with his hair, which at last decided to lay flat.

After washing up and doing the rest of his morning routine, Allen wandered downstairs where, much to his surprise, Cross was sitting at the table, drinking coffee. Even more shocking was the plate of pancakes sitting at the empty seat next to him.

"Why are you still here?" Allen asked, both amazed and afraid at the same time.

Cross looked up at Allen, equally as amazed. "You're actually up on time," he commented.

_How does he know when I wake up?_ Allen wondered before answering with, "Tim woke me up." He sat down and poked at the pancakes, frightened of what Cross could have hidden in them. They looked warm—fresh out of the pan, in fact. _Maybe Cross burned one or put salt in them,_ he thought before drowning them in maple syrup. When he tasted it, though, they were fine. Nothing was burnt, nor was there salt. This was a nice surprise for once.

Five minutes later, Allen ambled out of the house. For once, he was leaving on time and didn't have to worry about being late. The day was starting out wonderfully.

At least, it seemed to have been going perfect until he reached the school. There was a crowd outside, whispering and gossiping to each other as always, but everyone stopped and stared at Allen when he walked through the gate. It didn't take a stretch of the imagination to figure out _why_ they'd all stopped to stare.

On the front of the school was a huge banner reading, "Our Hero, Zero!" with a huge picture of Allen underneath. A couple people, Lala included, were trying to get the banner down, as it blocked the main entrance to the school.

"Do you know what this prank's about?"

Allen turned and tried to smile at Reever, despite the sinking feeling in his stomach. "I have no idea."

Reever nodded. "I believe you. Seems Akuma High School is up to its usual after-midterms pranks." He sighed and went to help those taking the banner down.

"Wow. Akuma High must've caught wind about you."

This time, it was Lavi talking. Lenalee was with him, a little more tired-looking than normal, but definitely better than before.

"What's going on?" Allen asked. He felt a little stupid for having no idea what was happening. "What does Akuma High have to do with all of this?"

"Akuma High has their midterms the week after ours," Lenalee explained. "They always celebrate by messing around at our school. This year they outdid themselves."

"And no one minds?" Allen asked.

Lavi shrugged. "Everyone's used to it. They don't break anything or do anything dangerous. They just hang posters, put some desks upside-down, maybe grease a doorknob up so you can't open it, nothing too big."

"Why, though?"

"We're rival schools. It's just their way of bothering us."

Allen nodded, though he didn't really understand the reasoning behind it.

Those trying to get the banner down finally succeeded and everyone could get into the school building at last. Inside there were posters everywhere with the Akuma's mascot, a little devil with pitchfork and flames. The teachers went to pull all these down before the students could so much as touch them.

"You seemed pretty happy until the prank," Lavi commented as they walked to their lockers.

"Oh, well... Cross actually _made_ me breakfast."

Lavi and Lenalee stared at Allen. "What? Are you serious?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, and they weren't poisoned," Allen said.

"Amazing," Lavi said, grinning. "Maybe the general's getting attached to you."

They kept walking, until Allen decided to ask the real question on his mind. "Hey, Lavi, have you ever read anything on dream interpretation?"

Lavi thought for a moment, then said, "Five books, each with completely different explanations. Why?"

"I had a weird dream last night."

Lenalee tilted her head. "About what?"

Allen stepped to the side of the hallway to get out of the other students' way. "It was like I was watching something on TV. There was this kid and his father left him with his uncle. That's about all there was to it."

"Let's see..." Lavi muttered, running everything he read through his head. "I don't think I've ever read anything on that sort of dream. Well, someone leaving could be taken as you miss someone, and the person or thing leaving is a representation of the person you miss. That's all I can tell you about it, though."

Allen frowned. That wasn't exactly what he'd wanted to hear, but it was better than nothing. "Oh. I see. Well, I have to get to my locker and to class. See you!"

Lenalee glanced up at Lavi. "You were lying before."

"I have a different idea of what the dream could be. Gotta talk to Bookman, though, and go through his newspaper clippings."

"Then what's your idea?"

"What he said reminded me of something I came across a while back. Allen swears his father had no family, yet he dreams about an uncle. I remember reading an article about someone named Walker, and it mentioned a brother."

Lenalee frowned. "There must be a million Walkers out there. It's a common name."

"But the name Mana isn't," Lavi reminded her. "I don't remember the name in the article. I just sort of glanced through it. We'll check it out after school and see if there's anything to it."

"Wait, why the plural?"

Lavi held up one finger. "One, because you know you want to know as much as I do, and two, because Bookman'll say no to me, but probably won't to you."

"So I'm just being used to keep Bookman from getting mad at you for snooping."

"Precisely."

* * *

The school day continued eventfully. The Akuma High kids hadn't just put up posters. They'd flipped every desk in school upside-down, put a fake love note in every locker from someone else in the school (Allen got one from Lenalee and Lavi from Miranda and vice-versa for the girls), drew on all the chalkboards, and glued all the teachers' things to their desks. It was mildly amusing at first, but as the day wore on, it was really starting to annoy the students, especially one Exorcist in particular.

"I swear, if I get hold of one of those Akuma," Kanda grumbled, glared at the trays, which were all duct taped together.

Allen had to laugh when he managed to pull one off the pile. "It could be worse you know. They could have _stolen_ all the trays. Then we would be in a lot of trouble."

"One more word out of you, Moyashi, and I'll stab you."

The white-haired Exorcist ignored the warning. "Kanda, do you know where Lenalee and Lavi are? They aren't at the table."

Kanda sighed in irritation. "They went to see Bookman."

"Why?"

"How should I know?" Kanda grabbed his food and stomped off. Allen followed after.

"Well, you're friends with Lavi, too, aren't you?"

"If he didn't tell you, he wouldn't tell me." Kanda sat down, and that was the end of that.

* * *

Lavi and Lenalee, meanwhile, were digging through some of Bookman's many unlabeled folders, searching for the article Lavi had barely caught a glimpse of long before. Ten minutes and five overstuffed folders into the search, and it still hadn't turned up.

"Where is it, Bookman?" Lavi shouted in frustration. He through the current pack of newspaper clippings on the floor. He'd glanced through even more than Lenalee.

"I've told you. I don't know what article you're talking about," Bookman said, flipping through another folder. "It doesn't help that those Akuma and Noah moved everything everywhere. I probably could have found it on Friday, but now it could take months."

"Months? Aw, come on, Panda! We don't have months!"

"Found it," Lenalee said, finding the article in the middle of a mass of others about Akuma High School Students. These hadn't been thrown everywhere or mixed up, probably because of their content.

"Already?" Lavi rushed over through the piles of unsorted news clippings and looked at the yellowing paper in Lenalee's hands. "What's it say?"

"It's an interview with someone named Nicolas**1** Walker," Lenalee said. "It says he won the music part of the local performing competition four years in a row with pieces he had written himself. It also lists a couple national and international competitions he's entered and done well in with his own original works."

"Any sign of that person being related to Allen?" Lavi asked.

"The interviewer asked him if he had a brother," Lenalee said, scanning the article. "He answered, in I quote, 'Yes, just one. His name's Mana. He won the Physical section four years in a row. He graduated my freshman year.' There's a picture of the two of them together."

Lavi looked at it, and his face lit up. "Hey! That's the picture Lvellie used in the article about Allen! Nicolas has to be related to Mana. And look at the caption!" He pointed below the picture, which simply said: 'Right: Mana, Left: Nicolas.' "We should show this to Allen!"

"After school," Bookman added just as the bell rang. "Take that with you and give it back when you're done with it. I'll finish cleaning up here."

"Thanks, Gramps!" Lavi called as he and Lenalee dashed to their next class on the other side of the school.

* * *

Once school was over, Lenalee and Lavi met up with Allen by his locker. "Check out what we found out!" Lavi said, holding the yellowing paper out for Allen to take.

"What's this?"

"That dream you had," Lenalee said quietly. "We thought that it could be an actual memory. We looked into it, and it seems Mana Walker had a brother."

Allen shook his head. "That's not..." Allen started, but a trance-like state interrupted him. "Mana didn't have any family," he muttered mechanically.

"Allen?" Lenalee asked, touching his shoulder.

The Exorcist seemed to snap out of it. "You guys found something?" Allen asked, as if he hadn't heard what Lenalee had said before.

His two friends glanced at each other. Lenalee was about to say something when Lavi shook his head and pocketed the news clipping. "Just an article that mentioned your father," Lavi lied. "Did you know he won that performance competition's physical thing?"

Allen seemed genuinely surprised. "Really? I didn't know that." He grinned, then shut his locker. "I have work, so I'll see you guys later." He waved, then walked away.

"What was that?" Lenalee asked Lavi. "Why did Allen—"

"I think we need to talk to Cross about this," Lavi said. "I read about something like this somewhere, but we better ask the general the real details. I'm a bookworm and historian, not an expert on mental problems."

* * *

General Cross answered the door on the first knock. He seemed a little confused by the visit, and said, "Allen's at work. Go find him there."

"We need to talk to you about something," Lavi blurted out before the general had a chance to close the door. "About Nicolas Walker."

Cross stopped and gave both students an appraising look. "What makes you think I know anything about him?"

"Because he's Allen's uncle," Lavi challenged.

"Come inside. No point talking in the cold." Cross held the door open for them both to enter. "So where did you hear about Nicolas?"

Lavi held out the article, which Cross glanced over as they walked into the kitchen. "Yes, this is definitely him."

"What do you know about him?" Lenalee asked. She felt a little self-conscious, interrogating the general like this with Lavi. "Why doesn't Allen know about him?"

Cross sighed and set the clipping on the table. "Allen doesn't know as much about his past as he thinks he does," the general explained. "The accident caused amnesia and some psychological problems from shock. The only thing Allen can remember clearly from before the accident is his father. Everything else is either long gone or a shadow." He lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. "That includes his uncle."

Lavi and Lenalee exchanged glances. "Earlier, when we tried to show Allen that article, he went zombie-like and then couldn't remember us showing him the article," Lavi said. "Why?"

"Allen has a distinct idea about reality," Cross said, "even if that reality isn't true. I took him to a psychiatrist after becoming his legal guardian. Dr. What's-His-Face diagnosed him with something or another—he had some long word for it—but anyway, he said that Allen has selective memory loss. His mind has a certain idea of what reality is as a "defense mechanism," and anything challenging that reality is quickly forgotten. After Mana's death, Allen thought he was alone, so he forgot anything that would challenge that idea: Nicolas and me. He decided I was a mean, nasty, rotten, no-good scoundrel, so whenever I do anything nice for the kid, he forgets it right after. You showing him that article mentioning his uncle challenged his idea of having no family, thus he quickly forgot it."

"But he remembered you making breakfast for him," Lenalee pointed out. "Doesn't that 'challenge his reality'?"

Cross's sharp intake of breath made him cough up the smoke he'd just breathed in. "He _remembered_ that?"

"Yeah," Lavi said with a nod. "He was weirded out by it, too."

"You're both not joking? He actually remembered?"

Lenalee tilted her head. "You act like this is the first time."

"This _is_ the first time," Cross said, amazement still in his voice. "I've made the brat breakfast every day this school year and this is the first time he's actually remembered." He grinned. "He thinks I'm a scoundrel, so he forgets anything I do that's good around here."

Lenalee frowned. "I wonder what's changed, then," she said, hand on her chin in thought. "This morning, he said he had a dream, and Lavi thinks is a memory. If he's remembering things, something must have changed."

"Something has changed," Cross said. "You."

Both Exorcists stared at the general. "What are you talking about?"

"Since that accident, Allen hasn't made any friends since he'd forget about them immediately after making them," Cross explained. "You both became too important for Allen to simply forget, so he didn't. Since then, you both have been challenging his ideas of reality a little at a time and have been much more successful then either me or Nicolas."

"But it's still not enough," Lenalee muttered. "He's still forgetting other things. How can we actually cure him?"

"I think you two are doing a fine enough job on your own." Cross put out his cigarette. "These things take time, and as you've said, he's starting to remember things from before the accident." He grinned. "To think Nicolas spent all that money on a psychiatrist who couldn't do anything when you guys are doing such a wonderful job for free!"

_So the cheapskate thing's true,_ Lavi thought, but didn't say anything. Cross was being helpful, at least.

"Maybe if we get Allen and his uncle to meet?"

"Won't work," Cross said. "We've tried that. Allen doesn't recognize his uncle, and even when we explain who he is, the brat forgets within twenty seconds. But..." Cross seemed to have an idea. He dug through some mail on the table and found an envelope. "Nicolas is a semi-famous pianist and sometimes travels around to play at different locations. He's coming in two weeks and gave me two tickets. I was planning on going with Anita, but maybe one of you could take Allen. His uncle taught him to play piano when he was younger, so maybe hearing Nicolas play might ring some bells."

Lenalee's eyes lit up. She'd heard Nicolas Walker once years before and owned a record**2** or two, but she hadn't connected Allen's uncle Nicolas and the musician Nicolas. She took the tickets and said, "I'll do it."

"You just want to hear him play," Lavi teased.

"That's not the only reason," Lenalee defended. "Besides, you don't like piano music. You'd fall asleep in the middle of the concert."

Cross chuckled. "I'll leave it up to you two, then." He walked the two Exorcists to the door and added to Lenalee, "There's a note with the tickets to get you backstage to talk with him afterwards. If Allen's not having trouble, introduce him, would you?"  
"Of course."

"Good girl." Cross closed the door. _I hope this works. Nicolas will be disappointed if it doesn't._

* * *

**1** I do not know the 14th Noah's name, so I made one up for him.

**2** Records were invented in 1877, around the time DGM takes place.

And the plot thickens at last. XD

Tell me what you think. As always, if you see stupid typos, please point them out to me. Thank you. :)


	13. Music Long Forgotten

**Chapter 13: Music Long Forgotten**

Allen stared at himself in the mirror and sighed. Lenalee had invited him to hear some famous musician or another's concert, and everything was going wrong for him that day. His hair was cooperating less than usual as he tried to smooth it. He hadn't slept well the night before, and he could remember the dreams he'd had distinctly. None of them were bad, so he couldn't explain why he felt so tired.

Oh, and then there was the fact Allen had nothing to wear. He knew the musician was famous and was playing at some fancy concert hall. He also knew that formal dress would be required. Sadly, he had nothing that really fell under "formal." He had a few things that looked nice, but they were hardly up to par. He didn't want to cancel on Lenalee simply because he had nothing to wear, but from the way things were looking...

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in."

Cross opened the door and looked at the clothes Allen had laying on his bed. "Got a date, do you?"

"It's not a date!" Allen felt himself blushing. Why had everyone assumed that? Lavi had picked on him at lunch about it, and even Jazz**1** came to ask. It had to be going around the school that he and Lenalee were going to this!

"Of course it isn't," Cross replied, his voice condescending. "Where are you and your date going, if I may ask?"

"Lenalee's not my date!" Allen shouted. "She just won two tickets to some musician's concert and invited me because her brother isn't big on piano."

Cross smirked. So _that_ was the story she'd fed him, and he'd bought it hook, line, and sinker. "You're headed to the famous Nicholas Walker's concert? You're lucky to even get in. Most have to reserve their tickets months in advance. You won't be able to get in looking like that."

Allen frowned and looked at himself in the mirror once more. Cross was right. He'd stick out like a sore thumb in a place like that.

"I could help, if you'd like."

"How?"

"Wait here." Cross walked away and returned a few minutes later with a tailcoat and a bow tie. "These might work a little better for you."

_When did he get these?_ Allen thought, wide-eyed. It wasn't like he was borrowing something of Cross's. The coat was his exact size and brand new.

"Are you going to ogle at it or put it on?" Cross asked, amusement in his voice.

Allen shrugged the coat on and inspected himself in the mirror. He felt a little weird, wearing the tails, but he had to admit he looked good. "Thank you, General," he said, a little awkwardly.

Cross shrugged the thanks away and handed Allen the bow tie. The doorbell rang, and Cross went to answer it, leaving Allen alone to finish getting ready.

_Well, here goes nothing,_ Allen thought, heading downstairs to the living room to wait. Anita was there was well, dressed beautifully and waiting patiently for Cross to come back down. She smiled at Allen when she saw him just as dressed up she was.

"Are you going to the concert as well?" she asked.

Allen had to wonder how hard it was to get tickets if Cross was going with Anita. "Lenalee won some tickets," he explained.

"So the rumors were true!" she giggled. "You do have a date!"

"It's not a date!"

Again, Anita giggled. "So you say."

"Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say it's not?" he asked, flopping into one of the chairs and sighing.

"Because it's just so obvious you and Lenalee are more than just friends," Anita muttered so Allen couldn't hear.

"Did you say something?"

"Oh, nothing." The woman smiled as Cross came back downstairs, dressed much like Allen. "Well, shall we get going?" She took Cross's arm. "We'll see you there, Allen!" she called, waving as they walked out the door.

Just as Cross and Anita's carriage drove off, another stopped in front of the house. Lenalee opened the door and gestured for Allen to get in, which he did. The girl told the driver where to go, and they were on their way.

That done, she smiled at Allen. "Isn't it exciting?" she asked. "We get to see the famous Nicolas Walker! I never thought I'd ever get to see him in concert."

"Is he that good?" Allen asked blankly.

"He won national and international competitions when he was our age. Of course he's good!" She beamed at him, then asked, changing the subject, "Allen, how do I look?"

Allen looked her over and felt the color rise to his cheeks. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was swept up in a loose bun, pinned up with a butterfly clip that's colors matched her silk Chinese-style dress. She was wearing a little make up to complete the look, making her seem more grown up and even more beautiful.

He only realized he was staring when she tilted her head, prompting an answer. "Y-you look... breathtaking."

"Oh, I was going for drop dead gorgeous," Lenalee teased. "I suppose breathtaking will have to do."

The carriage came to a halt at the end of a line of other carriages in front of the concert hall. The driver stepped out and helped Lenalee down from the carriage. He bowed slightly to Allen and Lenalee and climbed back into the carriage and drove off.

"He'll be waiting for us until the concert's over," Lenalee explained, leading Allen through the crowd of people. Once inside the hall, things got even more crowded. Allen had never been one to be claustrophobic, but he didn't like all the people bumping and shoving their way to the double doors leading to their seats.

Lenalee somehow was able to squeeze them both through the crowd and showed one of the ushers their tickets. The man nodded and led them to the front row. When they reached their seats, the usher handed them both programs listing the songs Nicholas Walker would be playing.

Allen glanced down the list. He'd never heard of any of the songs, but that didn't mean they weren't popular. After all, he'd practically been living under a rock since his father passed away. There was one song, however, that caught his eye. While none of the other songs had a name next to them, the last one on the list, _Musician_, did. In smaller print next to the title read the name "Allen Walker."

"Lenalee, what's this mean?"

Lenalee glanced at his program. "That's the name of the composer," she explained. "The reason that song's the only one with a composer listed is because the others are all by Nicholas Walker himself." She frowned. "It's a little strange that he's playing something that isn't his..."

Allen nodded and continued looking through the program. There was a small biography about the musician they'd soon be listening to, and there was plenty of time before the lights dimmed, so Allen decided to read through it.

According to the brief biography, Nicholas Walker had gone to Akuma High School for four years, and during that four years had won the local performing arts competition for music his whole high school career with original compositions as well as many national and international music writing contests. It also said that he had a deceased brother (which this concert was dedicated to) and a nephew he hadn't seen in a long time. Allen frowned. It wasn't a very specific bio. It didn't even say his brother or nephew's names.

The house lights dimmed at long last, silencing the chattering crowd. The curtains opened, revealing a lone grand piano on stage. A tall, thin man stepped out from the left wing, and the audience burst into applause. The musician reached center stage and held his hands up for silence.

"I want to thank you all for coming," he called out to the audience. "It's nice to be back in town after being gone so long. As you all know, I used to go to school in this town."

He grinned at the expectant listeners, then continued. "I'm sure you've all noticed something odd about the program tonight and are just burning to know what it's all about. I'll tell you... later." The audience laughed politely, but went quiet as Walker sat at his instrument.

The musician took a deep breath, fingers barely touching the keys. Then he began.

The first piece was one called _Solar Wind_. It was a lighthearted tune with many complicated melodies and harmonies. Allen sat on the edge of his seat. The song sounded familiar for some reason, but the white-haired boy had no idea why.

_Solar Wind_ was quickly followed up by a piece simply titled _Pierrot_. This jubilant little melody sounded even more familiar to Allen, like he'd heard it so long ago, it had faded from his memory. The idea fascinated and frightened him at the same time.

Next was a haunting melody called _For the Moment._ This one Allen didn't recognize at all, which made him feel a little better. He realized that this was the type of music Mana had liked to listen to, so he'd probably heard snippets of it here and there from his days with his father. This one was probably a newer piece, and Allen couldn't recognize it because it was newer than the ones the man had played before.

_Silver Eyes_, the second to last piece, ended with a few short, notes, like a music box winding down. Walker let the silence after the last note hang in the air a bit before standing and bowing for the audience. Everyone burst into applause a little belatedly. They'd been entranced by the note and the silence.

"Now, as I promised, I'll explain the last piece," Walker stated. "You see, there's a little story about it that I'd like you all to hear.

"Years ago, I knew a composer who could rival me with a little more practice and confidence. He was a natural at both playing the piano and writing little ditties for it. I taught him just as much as he taught me. About three years ago, that composer wrote the piece you're about to hear. I'm not sure if he'll ever write or play again, but if he picks it up again, I'm sure he'd pass me up. His name is Allen Walker, and he's my nephew."

The man sat back down before the whispering could begin and laid his hands on the keys once more. The melody this time was simple without any flourishes and many repeated sections, and yet it still drew the audience in. The notes seemed to blend together and be distinctly separate at the same time. It was an amazing little tune.

Allen closed his eyes as he listened to it. There was something about it... something so familiar it hurt. Then something shocked him. He heard a wrong note. He glanced at Lenalee, who didn't seem to notice in the least. In fact, he seemed to be the only one who noticed the pianist's mistake, if he actually made one. The note sounded fine in the piece, but it just seemed... _wrong_ somehow. But how did he know that? He'd never played the song before.

The last note resounded, and Nicholas Walker once again stood and bowed as his audience applauded.

"Wasn't that wonderful?" Lenalee asked, standing like many others in the room were.

"He played a wrong note," Allen stated.

Lenalee stopped clapping and looked at Allen. "What do you mean? Nothing sounded wrong to me."

"That last one. He played a wrong note. It should've been..."

"Maybe you heard wrong?" Lenalee offered. "Or maybe the piano's a little off. I know those have to be tuned pretty well, so maybe the note was off because of that?"

But Allen shook his head. He knew what he heard. He _knew_ the man had played the wrong note. He just didn't know why it bothered him so much.

"Hey, Allen, we can go talk to him, if you want."

Allen stared at Lenalee, shocked. "What? How? Isn't he famous or something?"

Lenalee reached into her clutch purse and pulled out an envelope. "Part of the contest was that we could meet him," she lied smoothly. "Come on. Let's go before there's a mad rush for the door."

Allen followed her out of the room as soon as the house lights brightened again. They beat the crowds by a mile, since many of the rich people were milling about and talking about rich people things, thus making it easy to escape into the lobby.

The problems came when they reached the door leading backstage. Lenalee held out the letter for one of the security guards to take. The man looked it over, then crumpled it up.

"There's no way he'd want to see kids like you."

"But we're supposed to meet him!" Lenalee said. "The letter should have explained—"

"You could have made up that letter easily. Besides, it doesn't even look like his handwriting!"

"What doesn't look like whose handwriting?"

The guard spun around and gaped at the person behind him. Apparently this was the first time the guard actually met the one he was supposed to, well, guard.

"This girl had a letter saying you were to meet them, but—"

Walker looked over Lenalee and paused when he saw Allen. "Yes, that's right. I nearly forgot. I've been a bit forgetful with the concert and all." The pianist smiled whimsically and gestured for the two to follow him to a large room with a table, chairs, and a small sofa. "Care for some tea?" he asked.

"No, that's quite all right," Lenalee replied.

The man smiled. "You already know my name. So what's yours, Miss?"

"I'm Lenalee Lee."

"Ah, yes, Cross mentioned you."

Allen raised an eyebrow at the man. "How do you know the general, Mr. Walker?"

A small smile curved his lips. "Please, don't call me Mr. It makes me feel old. Just Nicholas is fine. I'm not one for formalities anyway."

Allen frowned. The man was dodging the question. "How do you know General Cross?" he asked again, this time leaving no room for the tricky musician to worm out of answering the question.

"He went to Black Order Academy about the same time as my brother went to Akuma High. They were good friends and hung out a lot," Nicholas replied nonchalantly.

The teenager's frown deepened. "Who was your brother?"

"A misfit like me, I'm afraid," the musician said with a small laugh.

"What was his name?"

Nicholas bit his lip and didn't answer.

Allen tried another question. "That last song, _Musician_, you made a mistake. It sounded like you did it on purpose. Why?"

He seemed a lot more comfortable with this line of questioning. "Oh, to see if anyone noticed," he replied. "It gets boring playing what's written, after all. You've got to spice things up somehow."

"How come you didn't ask my name?" Allen asked abruptly now that the man was talking.

Nicholas seemed to catch on to Allen's plan. He smiled at the teen and replied, "Because I already know you, Allen, even if you don't remember me.**2**" He picked up the musical score on his table and held it out for the other to take. "You wrote this. I messed up to see if you'd catch it, and obviously you did."

Allen took the score and looked it over. He recognized it. He _knew_ somehow that he'd written it, that he was the same Allen Walker. He gaped at Nicholas. "Who... _are_ you?"

Just as Nicholas Walker was about to answer, the score slipped out of Allen's hand and the boy collapsed in a crumpled heap. "Allen!" both he and Lenalee cried, rushing over to the shaking boy.

"H-how do you know me?" Allen asked, his voice shaking. "Who are you?" He gripped his head. If felt like something was trying to tear his mind in two and succeeding. He winced as Lenalee's hand touched his shoulder. "H-how do you have this music? What _is_ this music?"

"Calm down," Nicolas said weakly. He didn't move to touch Allen, fearing how the boy might react. "I'll explain everything to you later."

His voice seemed so far away. Allen's eyelids felt heavy, but he shook his head and bit his lip to keep from passing out. He didn't know why he felt faint all of a sudden or why there was a relentless pain in his head. He did know, however, that this person was somehow important to him. "W-who are you? Tell me."

"I'm your uncle. Your father's brother."

"But Mana didn't have any family." Allen felt like he was going to be sick. The pain in his skull seemed to be spreading to the rest of him.

"You have amnesia, Allen," Lenalee explained, rubbing his back gently to calm him down. "General Cross said you forgot about your uncle because you felt alone after your father's death."

Allen shook his head. "But I _was_ alone," he whispered.

"You weren't," Nicholas said, kneeling next to the still shaking boy. "You forgot about me because you didn't want to hurt anymore. Somehow, you thought that remembering me would lead to more pain if something were to happen, so you just forgot all about me. You weren't alone, Allen. You just _thought_ you were alone."

Everything was starting to dim before Allen's eyes. He stubbornly tried to blink the darkness back, but in the end, it engulfed him.

_"Allen!"_

* * *

"Allen, are you okay?"

Allen opened his eyes. He was lying on the sofa while Lenalee and Nicholas hovered worriedly over him. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Lenalee explained. "Do you feel sick at all?"

"A little dizzy," he admitted. He tried to sit up, but both Lenalee and Nicholas pushed him back down. "I'm fine, you know."

The two looked at each other, then let him sit up. Allen felt nauseous for a moment, but it wasn't enough to make him want to lie down again. "How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes," Lenalee replied. "Are you feeling okay now?" She glanced sidelong at Nicholas, who seemed even more worried that she was.

"I'm fine," Allen reassured them. "Just a little tired."

"I'm sorry," Nicholas muttered. "This is my fault. I pushed you to remember and—"

Allen shook his head. "It's not your fault. It's mine for forgetting." He smiled weakly and tried to stand. His legs gave out underneath him.

Nicholas caught him before he hit the ground. "Let's get you home. There's plenty of time to talk another day."

Allen glanced up and noticed that the older man had tears in his eyes. "Why're you crying?"

"Because you finally remember me, if only a little," Nicholas replied simply.

The group went outside into the cold night air. The carriage was waiting for them, just as Lenalee had said earlier. Nicholas helped Lenalee and the wobbly Allen in, then climbed in himself. The carriage driver seemed a little perplexed by the added person, but didn't say anything about it.

It didn't take long to get back to Allen's house on the nearly empty streets. When they reached there, Nicholas helped his nephew out of the carriage. "I'm sorry for keeping you so long, Miss Lee. Please be safe on your way home."

The carriage drove away and Nicholas helped Allen inside. Cross was sitting at the table nursing a mug of coffee. He stood and helped Allen sit in one of the chairs when he saw them enter the kitchen. "You look terrible," the general commented.

"Thanks," Allen muttered, his head in his arms on the table, hiding his face and muffling his voice.

"He's just tired," Nicholas said. "He remembered a lot all at once. He's exhausted from that."

Cross nodded and picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello, this is Cross Marian," he said to the answering machine. "Allen won't be..."

But Allen couldn't hear what else the general was saying into the phone. Sleep had taken him once more.

* * *

**1** Anyone remember Jazz? She was in charge of the Performance Club in past chapters.

**2** That doesn't sound creepy. XD

Well, there's the chapter. I hope you all liked it. :) Tell me if you see any typos like always.

Oh, I made up all the titles of the songs except for _Musician_, which I heard somewhere but don't remember where at the moment. XP


	14. The Truth

**Chapter 14: The Truth**

Allen was vaguely aware of someone tucking him in gently and of the dull red in front of his closed eyes darkening to black with the swish of the curtains closing. Someone said something to him, but it was jumbled and sounded far off. He tried to open his eyes, but it was like his eyelids were made of lead. He struggled against sleep but soon lost the battle drifted off once more.

He wasn't sure how much time passed since then, but he woke up at long last and sat up drowsily. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and climbed out of bed.

"Oh, you're awake."

Allen spun around and stared at none other than his uncle. "So it wasn't a dream..."

"Depends what you mean wasn't a dream," Nicholas replied, a small amused smile curving his lips.

"You're my uncle, right?"

His smile widened a bit, and he nodded. "I'm glad you've finally remembered." He patted Allen on the head. "It's been lonely, knowing that you had no idea who I was. Anyway, get changed and come down for lunch, all right?"

"Lunch?" Allen repeated. It took a few moments for the word to sink in, then, "Oh no! How long was I asleep?" Allen rushed over to his mirror and tried desperately to get his hair to lie flat. Today it was cooperating better than usual. "I'm _so_ late for school!"

"Calm down, Allen. General Cross called you out sick," Nicholas explained. "No need to rush around in a panic."

Allen took a deep breath to calm himself as his uncle had said. "You could've told me that before," he said, relieved.

"I told you earlier," the musician explained, "though you might not have been awake enough to really understand. I came in this morning, told you the General had called you off and to get a little more sleep."

"I don't remember that."

"Really? You answered me. You said 'Okay, thanks,' and went back to sleep." Nicholas stepped out of the room and added with a grin, "I guess some things didn't change from when you were six." He shut the door behind him.

The color rose to Allen's cheeks ever so slightly at the comment. He changed out of his clothes from the night before and into some of the many things scattered about his room from his search before the concert. Once he'd brushed his teeth and done the rest of his usual morning routine (despite it being lunchtime), Allen went down the stairs and into the kitchen.

He stopped, though, when he saw Cross at the stove making grilled cheese sandwiches. For a moment, he thought he hadn't actually woken up, but the pinch he gave himself on the arm proved otherwise.

"Looks like the lazybones is finally up," Cross commented, moving the finished grilled cheese to a plate and setting it down in front of Allen's seat. When Allen didn't move to sit and eat, the general said, "What, are you afraid I've poisoned it somehow?" He turned back to the stove and started on another grilled cheese.

Feeling like a moron now, Allen sat down and picked up his sandwich. "So, um..." he began awkwardly. He stopped speaking when all eyes were on him and took a big bite of his sandwich to give himself an excuse not to talk.

Nicholas didn't seem bothered by his sudden bout of shyness, and prompted him to continue with, "If you want to ask me something, I don't mind."

Allen nodded, and started again. "I... wanted to ask how it was I knew you..." he said awkwardly. The question hadn't come out right, so he clarified, "I mean, I can't remember much other than that you're my uncle and all, so..."

"You want me to tell you about everything from before the accident," Nicholas finished for him. When Allen nodded, he stood and left the room, only to return with a photo album.

Cross raised an eyebrow at the leather-bound book. "And you just happened to have that with you?"

The musician smiled sheepishly. "I had a feeling that Allen would want some answers." He set the book down and opened it. The first page contained a picture of a young Mana Walker in graduation cap and gown, and another with a young Nicholas dressed the same way. As this wasn't what he wanted to show Allen, Nicholas flipped through the next couple pages.

Allen noticed one page, however, and stopped his uncle from turning to the next one. The pictures were of General Cross standing next to a beautiful woman in front of a church. "You're married, General?" he asked, bewildered.

Cross came over to see what pictures Allen was looking at and frowned. "I was, once."

"But..." Allen didn't want to say he didn't seem the type to be in a long-standing relationship, but kept decided it was better to keep his mouth shut. Instead, he said, "What do you mean by 'was'?"

"It didn't work out," Cross said matter-of-factly. He gave Allen one of those looks that just dared him to pursue the issue farther.

Allen swallowed his tongue and flipped the page for Nicholas, just to avoid looking Cross in the eye. The next page contained more wedding photos, so Nicholas took the album and flipped ahead a few more pages until he reached one in particular. This one contained pictures of Mana and Nicholas with a baby.

"Is that me?" Allen asked, pointing at the baby.

Nicholas nodded. "Mana and I found you on our way home on Christmas Eve," Nicholas explained. "You were so small and it was so cold, we were afraid you might die. Mana insisted we take you to a hospital, and when no one claimed you, he also insisted we take you in."

Allen nodded, and Nicholas turned the page again. The next couple contained pictures taken years apart. Most of the pictures were of Allen's birthday. Another was a toddler Allen standing next to Mana and sucking his thumb, and another was of Allen sitting at a piano and smacking the keys with Nicholas rushing up to stop him from beating up the instrument.

Nicholas continued to turn the pages and tell the story behind the various pictures in the album, and Allen listened patiently. What his uncle said started sounding familiar to him only when he got to when Allen was seven. The pictures started getting fewer and farther between at this point, but Allen actually remembered some of the things Nicholas was talking about now.

Nicholas paused to take a swig of the drink Cross handed him, allowing time for Allen to look through a few more pictures. "What was I like when I was little?" Allen asked.

"Sweetest kid a person could ask for," Nicholas replied. "You were practically attached to your father at the hip and always did what he told you to do. Well, except going to bed on time. You hated your bedtime and hated getting up in the morning." He smiled at the memory. "Of course, you were a bit sensitive about everything, too. I remember when a kid said your arm was weird and you locked yourself in your room for four hours. You would've stayed up there longer, I'm sure, if you hadn't gotten hungry."

Allen felt himself blush. "Can I ask something else?"

"Shoot."

The teen hesitated, but asked anyway, "Mana left me with you to go traveling. Why?"

The musician seemed a little taken aback by the question. Before Allen could apologize and tell him to forget he even asked, Nicholas said, "He thought it would be best for you."

"I know that," Allen said. "But there had to be more to it than what he told me!"

Nicholas bowed his head and stared at his hands, folded by the album.

"There was more to it," Allen whispered.

"Mana... had a rare condition," Nicholas explained softly, "and he didn't want you to know about it, so he traveled around to keep it secret."

"What kind of condition?"

But Nicholas shook his head. "Something that there was no prevention or cure for. All Mana would tell me was that he wouldn't wake up one day**1**, and rather than have you there when it happened, he decided to travel."

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"You were nine when he was diagnosed. You didn't even know what death was." Nicholas frowned and patted his nephew on the head. "You were really close to your father, and neither of us wanted to upset you by telling you all this."

Allen forced a smile. "I would've been fine."

Cross let out a hollow laugh from across the table. "Right. Do I have to remind you about your trauma-induced amnesia?"

Allen was about to make a snide remark back, but the doorbell interrupted him. Cross went to answer—and probably tell whoever it was to go away—but in the end he came back with Lenalee, Miranda and Lavi behind him.

"You don't look all that sick to me," Lavi teased. He gave his friend a noogie in greeting, but it wasn't too difficult for Allen to escape the headlock. "What were you doin' skipping school?"

"I didn't skip," he replied, glancing over at Nicholas. "Something came up and I just couldn't come."

"Some family?" Lavi asked, grinning. Lenalee had already filled him in on what was going on; he was just messing with Allen for the fun of it.

"Yeah."

Nicholas smiled. "It's good to see you again, Miss Lee. And it's a pleasure to meet some of Allen's other friends as well." He offered a hand for either Lavi or Miranda to take. "I'm Nicholas Walker, Allen's uncle."

Lavi introduced himself and ended up having to introduce Miranda as well because she was star struck. Apparently, she was just as much a fan of his music as Lenalee and couldn't believe she was meeting him in person.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay," Lenalee said, "and give you your homework."

Grinning evilly, Lavi whispered in Allen's ear, "The homework's an excuse. She only came to make sure you were okay." Lenalee smacked him in the head with Allen's work. "Ouch..."

"Anyway, we should get going," Lenalee hinted to the others. "See you at school tomorrow, Allen." She waved and pushed Lavi and the still star struck Miranda out the door. "Oh, and don't worry about work! Anita gave us both the day off!" she added before closing the front door.

Nicholas smiled. "You have some nice friends, Allen."

Allen blushed slightly. "Yeah..."

"You know, you should probably ask Lenalee out," Nicholas added, noting how Allen had been looking at Lenalee in the short time she was here.

"What? No! We're just friends." Allen stood. "A-anyway, I'm going to do my homework." He scooped up the papers and book Lenalee had taken for him and rushed up the stairs, cheeks burning.

* * *

**1** Made up medical condition. XD I am a writer, not a doctor, and so I made one up.

Whoopie. Chapter's done. Answers some of the questions about Allen's past, I guess. :-D

If you see any mistakes, please tell me as always. Oh, and please no "Update Soon" comments in the reviews (hee hee, let's see how many of you actually read my A/Ns). Thank you!


	15. Changing yet Staying the Same

**Chapter 15: Changing yet Staying the Same**

The next day of school was awkward for Allen. Nobody acted any different than they had the day before Allen's absence. In fact, only Allen acted any different. He felt like he'd changed so much and that someone might notice, so he did his best to act like nothing was any different, and in trying, he made it obvious that something was up.

"Are you all right?" Krory asked as they walked to English together. "You were acting weird all first period."

Allen forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Perfectly, one-hundred percent fine."

He was trying too hard. His denial just made it more obvious to the other exorcist that something was up. "I promise I won't tell anyone," Krory said. "Are you still not feeling well from yesterday?"

Allen shook his head. "I'm just fine, Arystar. You don't have to worry about me. I guess I'm just a little tired is all. Nothing to worry about." He smiled at Krory before pushing the classroom door open.

English was a discussion on a book they'd just finished reading a chapter of, and Allen, having not read the chapter because of how hectic his life had been the past couple days, stayed silent. Yeeger asked him after class why he hadn't said a word in the discussion, and all Allen could do was give a feeble excuse.

"Allen," Yeeger said gently, "I realize students have other things they'd rather do than read a book that's forty years older than they are, but I did assign this chapter two days ago. You should've been able to read it while you were home sick. Unless, of course, you were that violently ill?"

"N-no... Something came up, and I just didn't get a chance to read the chapter. Sorry." Allen braced himself for the chewing out of a lifetime. The last time he'd forgotten to do an assignment, Bookman let him have it.

Yeeger, however, seemed genuinely worried. Allen should've expected that, since he was more like Tiedoll than like Bookman. "Is there some kind of trouble with your family?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just a lot happened yesterday and... well... I didn't get a chance to finish the chapter..."

"Care to talk about it?" Yeeger inquired. He nodded to the stool he always kept by his desk for students.

"No, it's fine," Allen said. "Thank you for worrying about me, but everything's fine. Anyway, I have to get to my next class."

Yeeger was already on that. He wrote up a quick pass for Allen and sent him on his way.

Music ended up being the same way. Lala kept him after and asked him what was wrong, and once again, Allen denied that there was anything wrong. Lala, though, saw right through his act and sat him down at the piano.

"Look, I can understand that you don't want to talk about it," Lala stated firmly, "but whatever's bothering you is getting me worried. You weren't paying any attention at all in class today, and don't you dare deny it."

Allen looked away. "It's complicated."

"So? You seem to forget you're talking to a 'complicated' piece of machinery here," Lala reminded him. "What's the problem? You can trust me."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why? Because I'm a doll? Maybe _because_ I'm a doll I can understand and give you good advice."

Allen bit his lip, then asked, "Have you ever heard of the musician Nicholas Walker?"

"Yes, I'm familiar with him."

"He's my uncle."

Lala tilted her head. "And there's a problem with that?" she asked carefully. Unbeknownst to Allen, Cross had told Lala all of this when he asked her to give Allen piano lessons.

"I didn't even know I _had_ an uncle until two days ago."

"I can see how that could catch a person off guard," Lala replied, "but what I don't see is how that would bother _you_ so much. You don't seem the type to be shaken easily"

Allen smiled at her praise. "Well, I apparently don't remember a lot more than just him," he admitted. "According to him, I have some form of amnesia, and it makes me wonder what else I don't know about myself."

Lala looked thoughtful a moment, and then said, "I wouldn't worry too much, Allen. You're still you, no matter what you do or don't know about yourself. What's important is the here and now, and the here and now includes your grades and friends." She smiled sweetly at him. "Don't let this bother you so that you can't keep up with either, all right?" She, like Yeeger, pulled out a collection of passes and a pen from her pocket. "Now, where are you going so I can write you a pass?"

* * *

The rest of the day went a little better, though his friends accosted him about his acting strange also. But unlike the teachers, they didn't let Allen just slip away with a "I'm fine" or an "I don't want to talk about it." At the end of the day, Lenalee decided to talk to him about it. While the others went to their lockers after school was over, Lenalee hung back with Allen.

"Allen, did something happen yesterday after we left?" she asked.

The color rose to Allen's cheeks. He busied himself with putting books in his locker so he wouldn't have to look Lenalee in the eye. "N-no! Nothing happened at all. I went upstairs and did some homework."

Lenalee gave Allen the 'I-don't-believe-you' look.

"It's true! You can ask General Cross. Nothing happened."

"Then why have you been acting so out of it today?" Lenalee asked. "It's like you're trying too hard to act like nothing's wrong."

Allen sighed. He'd been busted. "Okay, I'm just worried that I'm different somehow now."

"And in trying to act like nothing's changed for you," concluded Lenalee, "you've been acting weird all day." She laughed when Allen nodded. "You worry too much."

"But..."

"No buts, Allen," Lenalee said, grinning. When he finished with his locker, she took his arm and led him out of the emptying school building. But she didn't stop there. They continued off the school grounds and down the street together, Allen being pulled along just after Lenalee. They just kept walking and walking, until Allen didn't know where they were anymore. Then they stopped at last.

"Where are we?" Allen asked, looking around the small snowy place. There was a swing set, a slide, and a set of monkey bars, all covered in the most recent dusting of snow. "A park?"

"I used to play here all the time when I was little," Lenalee explained, brushing off some of the snow before sitting down in one of the empty swings. She gestured for Allen to take the other swing, which he did.

Allen watched as Lenalee started swinging, confused. Why had she brought him there? To talk? To play? It didn't make any sense.

Lenalee stopped the swing and looked at Allen. "I told you how my parents were murdered when I was little, right?" Allen nodded, and Lenalee turned to stare at the horizon with a far-off look. "My brother brought me here, to this city, hoping I wouldn't remember what I saw. I had amnesia after my parents were murdered, and though I clung to my brother all the time, I hadn't changed a bit." She smiled at Allen. "When I finally remembered what had happened two years later, I cried a long time, but I was still me, even after forgetting and remembering something that important."

Allen looked down at his hands in his lap. He didn't know what to say. Here Lenalee was telling him all kinds of things about her past, and he couldn't offer anything in return. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked after a while.

"To tell you that you haven't changed," Lenalee said. "You're still the Allen that I know and love, and nothing will change—" She stopped herself abruptly, her face bright red.

Allen, however, didn't catch what was making her so embarrassed. "Lenalee?"  
"It's nothing," Lenalee said, hiding her blush with a happy smile. Allen, being the dense teen he was, didn't notice a thing.**1** "Anyway, you won't change overnight just because you remembered something. And besides, everyone changes a little bit over time. Everyone we meet, everything we learn, everywhere we go... All those things leave a small impression on us and mold us just a little bit. But in spite of all that, we're still who we are.**2** Oh, but I'm just rambling again." She laughed lightheartedly and offered Allen a hand. "Want to walk home together?"

Allen smiled and took her hand. The started walking together, side by side. After a few minutes, he said, "Lenalee?"

The girl turned to him. "Yes?"

"Thankyou... for everything."

* * *

**1** In case you didn't notice either, she said she loved him.

**2** Cheesy monologue courtesy of me reading too many romance-related fanfics. XD

Yay to short cheesy chapters. XP Okay, not really. I wanted to write a chapter for this, but I had mild writer's block. My apologies to everyone reading. You don't have to lie telling me it was good. Feel free to tell me it was disappointing 'cause I already know it is.

Hopefully, next chapter'll turn out better than this one... _(sigh)_ I know how I want to end this fic, but I don't want to end it abruptly. They're in mid-January right now, and so I don't want to skip months on end to get to the ending...

Thank you for reading.


	16. Valentine's Day

The rest of January flew by, and before anyone knew it, it was February. Unlike its predecessor, the beginning of February was extremely dull. Though Allen heard from his uncle at least once a week, the novelty and weirdness of having an actual relative was starting to wear off. Not that it was a bad thing, but with how hectic his life had been only a few weeks before, the new normalcy of it all was starting to become, well, boring.

It wasn't until Valentine's Day rolled around that things started stirring up again.

That year, Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday, so all the couples in school were setting up dates and all the girls were giving their Valentines and love letters a day early. Allen had received a couple from various girls, all of whom he let down as gently as he could. Lavi, however, was swarmed by every girl in school and given so many letters and chocolates, he couldn't fit them all in his locker and ended up borrowing Allen's for storage purposes until the end of school.

And that was where they were at the moment. Lavi was shoveling as many of the chocolates as he could into the three bags he'd brought to school; the rest he handed to Allen to take home and share with the General.

Just as they were about to leave, though, Lenalee waved. Lavi gave Allen a small shove and shot off like a rocket right after.

"Lavi!" Allen shouted at his friend, but the redhead was quick and thus nowhere in sight by the time he turned. _What was that for?_ He turned back to Lenalee. Things had been a little awkward between them since their talk in January, but Allen had no idea why. After all, he'd followed her advice and wasn't acting weird. She, on the other hand, was always a little too quiet around him and when she did talk, it was always in short bursts that usually ended with Lavi interrupting; it was almost like he was rescuing her, in fact.

"So... um..." Lenalee started, but she stopped and took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you wanted to do anything tomorrow," she finished, a little more strongly than when she started.

"Sure," Allen replied without even thinking about it. With things so awkward between the two of them (or at least on Lenalee's side), he'd been worried that Lenalee changed her mind about them being friends. Her asking him to do something with her was the best sign he'd gotten in weeks.

"You're sure?"

That confused Allen a bit. "Of course I'm sure." It wasn't like he had work or something, and besides, Lenalee knew his work schedule almost as well as he did. "I have piano lessons in the morning, but other than that, I'm free." He paused, waiting for Lenalee to tell him what she had in mind. When she didn't say anything, he asked.

"Oh... um... Nothing in particular," Lenalee muttered. She tried to smile. "Maybe we could... I don't know... see a movie?"

Now things were getting a little strange. They'd seen a movie together before with Lavi and Kanda. What was all the weirdness for? "What movie did you have in mind?"

They started walking together through the empty halls. Lenalee was looking anywhere but at Allen, and something that had become common in the past couple weeks.

"I'm not even sure what's playing," she replied distractedly. "It's probably all those lovey-dovey chick-flicks that not even girls can stand." She sighed. "All right, movie idea's scrapped."

"You could always come over for dinner," Allen offered.

Lenalee laughed. "No, I couldn't ask you to cook."

"Hey, I'm not that bad of a cook."

Lenalee laughed even harder at his retort. "You're better than my brother. Trust me."

Allen laughed as well. He couldn't picture their principal anywhere near a stove. Heck, it was hard to imagine him even making his own sandwich.

"Maybe we could go out to eat," she suggested. "There's a place near my house that just opened. My treat."

"I couldn't," Allen replied. Now it was his turn to feel a little awkward. "I'll pay for us both."

Ever since he met his uncle, he was getting over his mental issues bit by bit, and the first thing he'd discovered was that Cross wasn't the mean womanizing jerk he'd first taken him for. Turns out, most of the women he met up with were actually clients wanting Cross to be the photographer at a wedding, birthday, or some other event; Allen was just unable to remember the General actually being employed because he'd thought him a deadbeat. It also turned out that all the money Allen had thought Cross was taking from him for his own bills were actually going into a bank account for college. And Cross hadn't taken that money; Allen had put it down and forgotten about it and assumed Cross had just taken it. Needless to say, after all these discoveries, Allen had more pocket money than he could even imagine.

"Are you sure?" Lenalee asked again.

"You know I have more money now than I know what to do with," Allen pointed out with a laugh. "I'd feel terrible if you paid for me."

Lenalee bit her lip, considering, then nodded in agreement. "Meet me at my house at five tomorrow, okay?"

They reached the street outside the school and turned their separate ways. "See you tomorrow, then," Allen said, waving as Lenalee walked away.

The girl turned and waved. It was like she was completely back to her usual self.

"So she finally asked you out."

Allen practically jumped out of his skin. Lavi always had a talent for popping out of seemingly nowhere, and though he was starting to get used to it, Allen was still caught off-guard by the redhead's sudden appearances

"What are you talking about?" Allen asked.

Lavi raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Are you seriously that dense?" he asked, trying to choke down the laughter that shown in his grin.  
"What do you mean?"

That did it. Lavi doubled over laughing. "You really are that dense! Holy cow, Allen!" he managed between fits of laughter.

"Why am I dense?" Allen growled. It wasn't often that Lavi got on his nerves, but when he did, Allen always wanted to smack him upside the head like Lenalee always did. Maybe he would one of these days, just to teach Lavi a lesson.

"Seriously, Allen," Lavi wiped away the tears in his eyes, "you really didn't notice?" When he received the deer in the headlights look, Lavi continued. "She _likes_ you, Allen. A lot. She's been trying to ask you out on a date for the past three weeks, but every time she tried to, she chickened out and counted on me to bail her out and change the subject." He shrugged and leaned back against the fence surrounding the school's courtyard. "I'm shocked you didn't notice."

Allen opened his mouth to argue that he had noticed, then snapped it shut. He _had_ noticed, but as Lavi said, he'd been too dense to realize the true reason behind it. "I... guess you're right." When the red-haired exorcist cocked an eyebrow, he added, "About me being dense. I really didn't notice that she liked me."

Lavi grinned and pulled Allen into a headlock. "I can't believe you're admitting it!" he said with a laugh. "There should be more people like humble you in the world. We could do with a few less egotistical rich people."

"Let go," Allen said, trying to fight out of the headlock. Lavi was too strong, however, and he couldn't get out until Lavi actually released him.

"So what's the plan for the date?" Lavi asked, his lopsided grin widening.

"We're going someplace to eat," Allen replied. He didn't mean to be vague, but that was all he really knew. Besides, Lavi was definitely the type to crash a date, though Allen wasn't sure whether this would be a good thing or a bad thing, considering he had no idea how dates were supposed to go.

Lavi's grin dissipated slightly. "Don't want me interrupting, hmm? You sly, sly dog, Allen."

The color rose to Allen's cheeks. "Lavi, just shut up." He turned and started walking away, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Don't forget to kiss her!" Lavi shouted after him.

That made Allen rush off, his face a deep crimson.

* * *

"So where are you going so early on Valentine's Day?" Cross asked, watching as Allen struggled to get his hair to stay flat. The only answer he got was Allen blushing and silence. "Oh, a date," he said understandingly. "With Lenalee Lee, I presume?" The blush got darker. "Ah, so it is."

"Just shut up, General!" Allen begged.

"Nervous?"

Allen nodded.

"Biggest mistake for a newbie," Cross said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

Allen wrinkled his nose. "Do you have to smoke?"

Cross puffed on his cigarette. "I'm not going to waste out a perfectly good cigarette just because you don't like it." He took another puff. "Just calm down and be yourself. It's not like she's going to hate you because you do something stupid. She might get mad at you about it, but it's nothing some chocolates or flowers won't fix."**1**

"Can you go away?" Allen asked. He finally got his hair to lie flat and so he moved on to going through his clothes.

"Where are you going?" Cross asked like he hadn't heard Allen's simple request.

"That's none of your business," he replied crossly.

Cross shrugged. "Out to lunch?" he guessed. When Allen didn't deny it as he would if Cross had been wrong, he said, "Go casual, but not too casual. You both aren't going anyplace too expensive, so you don't have to worry about being under-dressed."

"And how do you know all this?"

Cross smiled. "I've been on more dates than you have and was married at one point. Don't question the advice." He then left Allen alone to decide whether or not to follow that advice.

In the end, Allen went with what Cross suggested and went downstairs. Cross smirked from where he sat at the kitchen table, but didn't say anything as he pushed a plate of waffles that had gone cold while Allen dillydallied.

"So when is this date?" he asked, before sipping his coffee and glancing at the clock nonchalantly.

"It's none of your business, really," Allen replied, but he didn't mean for it to be harsh as it sounded.

Cross nodded. "That's true." He paused to have another gulp of coffee. "When do you plan to get home?"

"No idea," Allen replied truthfully. "I'll probably be home in time for dinner."

Again, Cross nodded.

There was a brief silence as Allen munched on his breakfast and Cross read the newspaper that ended when the doorbell rang. Allen raised an eyebrow at Cross, who abandoned his coffee to go answer the door. A few moments later, the general called from the front hall, "I'm leaving. Don't forget your date!" and then the door closed.

_He must be with Anita,_ Allen thought, finishing his cold waffles and leaving the plate in the sink with the dishes from the night before. He'd mess with them later.

It was chilly outside, but things were starting to warm up for spring in the next month. The snow was starting to melt, but at night it got cold enough for the water to freeze once more, so it was slick going to Lenalee's house. Despite the weather, many couples milled about the restaurants and stores, and on occasion, Allen saw someone, usually a guy, slip and fall on the ice. The first time he saw on such dive, Allen was especially careful.

After a couple dozen near falls later, Allen reached Lenalee's front step. He rang the doorbell and waited. And waited. And waited some more. What was taking her so long?

At last, Lenalee pulled the door opened. Her hair was down and slightly tangled and her clothes, though nice, were a little wrinkled. "Sorry. Komui was—"

Komui's screams in the background interrupted her. "Lenalee!" He rushed up behind Lenalee and pulled her into a big bear hug. "How dare you go on a date without telling me?"

"It's not a date," Lenalee grumbled, somehow detaching him and pulling away. "Allen and I were just going to hang out for a couple hours and grab a bite to eat." She rolled her eyes, and Allen realized this was the reason for her disheveled appearance. "I'll be back in time to cook dinner, so—"

"But it's Valentine's Day!" Komui sobbed. "Only couples go out on Valentine's Day, and that means you're going out with Walker!"

It was only then that their principal realized that Allen was standing there. He gave Allen a cold look and clung to Lenalee protectively.

Allen was at a complete loss for words. "Um... hi?"

Komui's grip on Lenalee tightened. He reminded Allen of a child who didn't want to share a toy.

"Brother, we're just hanging out," Lenalee repeated. "We've been trying to get together for a study session for days because of a test next week, and today was the only day we had free. It just happens to be Valentine's Day."

Komui blinked his large, tear-filled eyes at her, as if trying to guilt her into telling the truth if she were lying, which she was. "You swear?"

"Yes, I swear."

"Allen's not your boyfriend?"

"No."

That seemed to satisfy Komui. He released his sister and trudged back into the house. A few moments later, a door slammed.

"Sorry about that," Lenalee said, smiling. She stepped aside and beckoned Allen to come in after her. "Come on in. Sorry about the mess."

The inside of her house was, indeed, a mess. It looked like a hurricane came through—a hurricane named Komui. "What—?"

"You saw Komui before," Lenalee said, walking up the stairs that presumably led to her room. "He threw a fit when he found out I was going someplace today. Talk about jumping to conclusions."

"Um... Did you mean it?" Allen tried to ask, but when he looked up, Lenalee was gone. At a loss of what to do, Allen sat in the living room and waited some more.

A few minutes later, Lenalee came down from the stairs again. Now she was wearing a blue peasant blouse with a small ribbon at the neck instead of the plain pink she'd been wearing before. "Shall we?"

It was a little after noon when they headed out the door. Allen helped Lenalee down the slippery stairs so she wouldn't fall, and then they went down the street. "So... um..." Allen started, but stopped when Lenalee slipped her hand into his. He could feel his face burning, and that was enough to end his question before it even started.

As if reading his mind, the Chinese girl said, "I had to tell Komui we weren't going out on a date. He would've killed you, and he's read enough mystery novels to know where to hide a body.**2**" She made a face. "My brother's been overprotective ever since... you know."

Allen did know, and because he said nothing, a silence fell over them. Unlike the other silences they'd experienced lately, though, this one was more companionable than awkward.

The two went into a small French café that was crowded with couples. After almost an hour of yet more waiting for Allen and looking at the menu so they'd know ahead of time what they wanted, they got a small table outside under the eaves. A few minutes later, none other than Lavi stepped out with a huge grin on his face and two glasses of hot chocolate. "For the love birds," he said with a wink.

Allen gaped at his friend. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Jazz's**3** aunt owns this place," Lavi explained. "She knew it'd be crowded today, so she asked Jazz to bring a friend and help out."

"So you're not here to spy on us?" Lenalee asked accusingly.

Lavi grinned at that question. "Nope. That's just a bonus." He pulled out a notepad, though Allen suspected it was more for the kitchen than for Lavi's memory, and said, "The hot chocolate's on the house, since you guys ended up waiting so long. So, what can I get for you two to eat?"

Allen ordered for them both, and Lavi grinned and winked at them. He left them alone, and soon the awkward silence returned.

"So—"

"Where do you—"

Both stopped mid-sentence and blushed. Things weren't looking good for their little date. "You first," Allen said, hoping the uncomfortable silence between them would go away if just a little bit of conversation started.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go someplace after this," Lenalee said.

Great. So she hadn't planned anything, and he had no idea what they should do. So, he admitted it. "I have no clue."

"Well, all the movie theaters are packed and showing those annoying gushy chick flicks," Lenalee commented, twirling her hair with a finger. "Hanging out at my place would be begging for trouble from my brother, and I know you don't like shopping too much." She sipped her hot chocolate, giving herself a chance to think.

"Why not take a walk through the park?" Lavi suggested, startling both as he set their meals in front of them, along with the biggest chunk of chocolate cake Allen had ever seen. "That's on me, by the way," he added when he noticed them both staring at the cake.

"T-the park would work," Lenalee said, not looking at Allen or Lavi. Allen nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"Glad to be of service," Lavi teased. "Want me to follow you both to provide dialogue, too?"

Allen gave Lavi a look, and Lavi just shrugged it off. "Wave me over if you need anything else," the redhead said with a grin before ambling off to another table. Allen followed Lavi with his eyes for a moment, and then almost had a heart attack when he saw who Lavi was taking care of next.

"Is something wrong, Allen?" Lenalee asked, following Allen's gaze. Her jaw dropped as well when she saw what he was looking at.

Cross and Anita were at another table, holding hands and looking all lovey-dovey like a real couple. Lavi cleared a few plates away and walked back inside, and neither took any notice of him. Cross said something to Anita, which made her laugh, and then they stood to go. They walked right past Allen and Lenalee and didn't even glance their way.

"That was weird," Allen said. Lenalee nodded in agreement.

* * *

The rest of their date went a little better than the beginning. They'd walked through the park as Lavi suggested, and eventually found themselves in a small candy shop. And after spending all their money (or most of Allen's pocket money, as he refused to have Lenalee pay for her own sweets on their date), they decided to head home.

They walked back to Lenalee's house hand-in-hand until they reached the end of her block. "I can make it the rest of the way on my own," Lenalee said with a smile, which was basically code for: "If Komui sees us holding hands, he'd kill you."

"All right," Allen said, smiling right back. The awkwardness of the whole date had worn off once they'd finished their meal and stopped thinking about it too much.

"I had a good time." She kissed him softly on the lips. "We'll have to do it again sometime soon."

She was already down the street by the time Allen could speak again. She'd kissed him. She'd _kissed_ him. Allen opened his mouth to say something, but by then, it was too late to say anything, so he just started back to his own house, smiling like a goofy idiot.

* * *

**1** A wonderful example of what I'd call a "Cross-ism."

**2** Readers of "Chaotic Con" will recognize this quote.

**3** Anyone remember her? She was head of the Performer's Club.

Sorry for lack of updates... School's started, and so I've been running around like a crazy person for the past week.

I'd like to say one thing: Please don't complain about the pairing. I realize some of you out there don't like Allen x Lenalee and will complain for all eternity about me not having warned in the summary or something. The thing is, I don't like saying what pairings there are, as a real book doesn't tell you that sort of thing. Besides, I gave enough hints that they'd get together in this fic, so there's really no room to complain.

Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always, please alert me of any typos.


	17. Chaos

_"Take a look at this."_

_Allen accepted the paper from Lala and read it over. "A composition contest?"_

_Lala smiled. "I think you should enter."_

_"What makes you think I—"_

_"I see you scribbling scores in class every day," Lala pointed out. "Don't try to tell me you don't write music."_

_Allen blushed. He had been writing music for days, a talent he'd only recently discovered. It was silly not knowing that he could write music, considering he'd written the song his uncle had played._

_"You should enter," Lala continued. "It's not like you lose anything for entering."_

_And Allen had agreed._

* * *

That had a month ago, just before Allen and Lenalee's first date. Since then, Allen and Lenalee had become something of an "item" around the school. It was no longer "Where's Allen?" or "Where's Lenalee?" Before either could stop it, people now asked, "Where's Allen _and_ Lenalee?" Their names were inseparable. It was like one didn't exist without the other, and while the two did spend a lot of time together, they weren't attached at the hip. They _did_ still do things on their own, after all.

The only irony of this was that despite the school's referring to the two as a pair constantly, overprotective Komui had yet to notice. He was off in Lala Land somewhere, completely oblivious of their going out. It seemed Lenalee was still feeding him lies about their relationship, and that was fine by Allen. He felt a little guilty about her brother not knowing the truth, but Komui being misinformed was better than himself being six feet under.

This was how life was until the fateful day when a certain letter reached Komui's desk. As principal, any responses to students entering contests through the school was put on Komui's desk first, then delivered to whoever it concerned. This particular letter, though, was on a postcard, and the principal couldn't resist the urge to read it. It couldn't be that bad, after all. What was the harm? Everyone would soon know anyway.

He read through it and smiled. _So Allen's entered a composition contest. Wonderful. How'd he do?_ He read the next part, and his eyes widened. Allen had won the grand prize of one thousand pounds for his piano piece, 'Dark-eyed Love.'

The postcard slipped from between Komui's fingers. He'd been pacified for so long by Lenalee's little lies that he hadn't paid any attention to how students always referred to Allen and Lenalee in the same sentence, like they were two parts of the same whole, but now that he'd seen the title of Allen's piece, his suspicion flared to life once more.

"Good morning, Komui," Lala said, poking her head into her office. "I was wondering if the sheet music I'd ordered came in and..."

"Get. Me. Walker. _Now._"

* * *

Allen, meanwhile, was unaware of Komui's growing rampage, sitting in English class and trying to pay attention to the discussion at hand. They'd just finished reading the Bard's**1** _Romeo and Juliet,_ a beautiful yet sad piece, and now they were talking about the irony and symbolism within the piece. Honestly, Allen saw no point in understanding the symbolism of a piece. Analyzing literature always seemed to kill the enjoyment of it, but he wasn't about to point that out to Yeeger.

There was a loud crash outside the room, interrupting every class in the hallway. There was also an almost inhuman wailing with the crashes and screams.

Then Lala flung the door open and slammed it shut behind her. "Walker, you need to get out of here. _Now_."

All attention turned to Allen, who just stared stupidly at Lala. "What?"

"_Now_, Walker." The doll grabbed Allen's wrist and tugged him out of his seat. "Run first, ask questions later." She ushered him to the window and have him climb out—English was on the first floor—and then continued leading him through the chilly March air.

"What's going on?" he asked, but Lala shushed him.

Reever met up with them somewhere on the playing field with what looked like a giant bazooka in his hands. "All clear here, for the moment," he said. "Take him to the sports shed. He'll never look for Allen there."

"What's going on?" Allen repeated. Reever was armed. This couldn't be good.

"You won the grand prize for that contest," Lala explained, leading him down the field to the storage shed.

"So why do I have to run?"

Lala smiled wryly. "Your song's title finally got Komui to realize you were dating his sister."

"_That's_ what this is about?"

Lala unlocked the storage shed's door and pushed Allen inside. "Lenalee's warned you that her brother would kill you, right?" she asked seriously.

"Uh, yeah, but I thought she was—"

"She wasn't exaggerating." Lala closed the shed's door and the lock clicked.

Allen sat their, dumbstruck in the darkness. He was _that_ overprotective? Seriously? He wasn't going to say that was a little far fetched, as Komui must have been the source of the crashes and wailing outside his classroom. Obviously, he really _was_ that overprotective. But why? It didn't make sense.

He sat there in the cold darkness, tugging his uniform jacket more tightly around him. For once, he was glad for the practical use of his gloves, as he would've been much colder without his hands covered. It was too dark to see his breath, but he knew that if he could, it would've been fogging up.

There was a good long silence before the lock clicked open and Lala opened the door. "Come on," she hissed. "We've got Komui trapped in his office again, but for your own safety, you ought to stay home the rest of the day and probably tomorrow until things cool down a bit."

So she led him out of the shed and down the field once more. Reever was following them, bazooka at the ready. Allen didn't want to _think_ about why Reever had such a thing. Komui going nuts couldn't be that normal. Could it?

There was another crash, this one right behind them. Allen tried to turn, to see what was causing it, but Lala had already grabbed his arm and was pulling him as far away from it as possible as quickly as possible.

It was too bad that the crashes were coming closer despite their fleeing.

Reever spun and fired the bazooka. There was a squelching sound—whatever had been fired, it wasn't a bullet—but the crashing didn't stop. Reever cursed and ran for his life, leaving the bazooka-like object behind.

"Watch out!" Lala cried, shoving Allen out of the way of something. Allen looked back just in time to see that _something—_a giant crab-like claw—grab Lala and toss her out of the way. The doll landed a few feet away and tried to get up to help Allen more, but her leg seemed damaged from the fall.

This time, Allen had no one to push him out of the way as the claw went to close around him, but this time he saw it coming. He dived out of the way and continued running. He ran in zigzags, trying to make it as difficult as possible for the metallic claw to pick him up.

Too bad the metal monster saw through this plan. It waited for Allen to make a turn, then snapped him up when he couldn't possibly avoid the claw without losing his balance and taking a tumble. Allen struggled against the strange contraption, but it was no use. The robot held firm.

The robot lifted Allen up to its face, and the cockpit opened, revealing Komui at the controls—not that that was much of a surprise. The principal didn't look angry, though, as Allen had suspected. Instead, he looked a little sad.

There was silence as both stared at each other. Then Allen said to break up that silence, "Could you put me down? This claw isn't very comfortable."

Surprisingly, Komui did just that. Once Allen was on the ground and released, he jumped down from the cockpit and said solemnly, "You're going out with my sister."

Allen gulped. He hoped to God Komui didn't have a knife or a gun or something. "Yes."

"How long?"

"Er... Since Valentine's Day," he admitted.

Komui looked thoughtful a moment, then asked, "Do you actually _like_ my sister, or is this just a whim?"

Allen didn't quite get the question, but he answered as honestly as he could. "I like her. A lot." He braced himself for the barrage he'd get, either verbal or physical.

But it never came. Instead, Komui put a hand on Allen's shoulder and said, "If you make Lenalee cry, I swear I'll kill you. Oh, and congratulations on getting the grand prize." Then the madman walked back to the school like nothing even happened.

* * *

"So I heard you were the one Komui was after," Lavi teased at lunch.

"I'm so sorry," Lenalee interjected as soon as she reached the lunch table. "I didn't think my brother would go this crazy. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Allen said, still a little dumbstruck by the whole event. "He just threatened me and congratulated me on winning a composition contest."

"And that, I believe, deserves a celebration in and of itself." Lavi laughed and offered Allen a bottle of soda pop. "You deserve this, buddy." He then led everyone in a toast with their bottles of pop and said, "To Allen, for winning the grand prize and surviving Komui's wrath!"

* * *

**1** "The Bard" is another name for Shakespeare.

I'm sorry that the chapter was kind of short, but I got through with what I wanted for this chapter. I had thought it would be a longer chapter, but for whatever reason it ended up being really short.

Well, anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. People who point out my typos are greatly appreciated.


	18. The Start of Spring Break

Spring Break came at long last. Just like Winter Break, there was a countdown in everyone's last class and then a mad break for the door. And just like last time, Allen was slow getting out, but for completely different reasons.

This time, his uncle had invited him to spend the little vacation with him. The musician also said he could bring Lenalee and Lavi, if it was okay with their parents. Lavi had instantly agreed and bugged Bookman until the old historian agreed (three hours later). Lenalee, on the otherhand, hadn't been able to get a straight response out of her brother. Komui kept giving vague responses and at one point blatantly said no, but his little sister kept working him until at long last consented, as Allen's guardian, Cross, and his uncle would be keeping an eye on them.

So Allen was waiting for them by his locker since they were going to jump on the first train after school together. Cross had gone on ahead that morning after seeing Allen off, leaving the three students with a list directions and a half-dozen train tickets, as no train went directly to Nicolas's country town.

"Why would someone so rich and famous want to live in the middle of nowhere, anyway?" Lavi asked when he finally joined Allen with Lenalee in tow. "Why can't he live in a big city _nearby_?"

"Uncle Nicolas likes his privacy, I guess," Allen replied blankly. He really had no idea why his uncle lived so far away from every big city in England. All Allen knew was that he had liked it there when he was little from the few scattered memories he had of his childhood.

Lavi shrugged. "Well, we gotta stop back at my house to grab my suitcase. Panda wouldn't let me leave it in his office all day like a certain lucky girl." He grinned at Lenalee.

"You could've asked. I'm sure Komui wouldn't have—"

The redhead patted Lenalee on the head—an easy endeavor, considering how much taller he was than her. "I'm only joking. Don't take it seriously. Anyway," he grinned at Allen, "we better get going. We don't want to miss the train."

Lavi led the way down the street to his house, or what Allen had thought was a house from what Lavi had said. It turned out to be a _boarding_ house instead. Lavi opened the front door for his two friends and stepped inside after them. "Sorry about the mess. Timothy, John, and Leo must've been playing in the hall again."

Speaking of which, the three boys ran down the nearby set of stairs and crashed through the hallway on their way to the kitchen, where something smelled suspiciously like cake. "Is it done yet? Is it done yet?" the boys chanted.

"Almost. We've got to let them cool first."

Allen stopped and stared. Howard Link, the guy who helped ruin his reputation months before with Lvellie, was standing in the doorway wearing an apron and holding a tray of cupcakes as Timothy, John, and Leo circled like hungry dogs. Link must have noticed him, too, for he stopped pulling the muffin pan out of the kids' reach and only moved to react when the one with blond hair touched the hot pan and let out a yelp of pain.

"Careful!" Link lifted the pan out of their reach once more. He went back into the kitchen and set the tray down on the counter. "Don't touch those." He then went back to the hallway. "What're you doing here? I thought you had a trip or something."

"Picking some stuff up I forgot," Lavi replied coolly. "Baking?"

"Chocolate cupcakes. The guys," Link rolled his eyes and nodded to the three children looking greedily at the pan, "wanted a snack."

"Got some extras?" Lavi asked.

Link frowned. "Only the ones cooling, and those little misers'll eat them all."

"Next time," Lavi promised Allen and Lenalee before thumping up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later with a large suitcase, though not quite as large as the two Lenalee had. "Let's go." He waved at Link with his free hand. "See ya next week, Link."

As they left the building, Allen asked, "How do you know Howard Link?"

Lavi kept walking as he said, "He just lives in the building. He's a good baby sitter for all the kids. Good cook, too." He grinned at Allen. "Don't worry, we aren't best friends or anything. I'm not gonna tell him all your deepest, darkest secrets or something."

They reached the station just as their train sighed to a stop at the platform puffing smoke. They had to fight their way through the crowd, but eventually they made it to their seats, and with Lavi's help, got their things in the compartment up above. Well, Lenalee and his own things. Cross had taken Allen's suitcase on ahead.

The train ride was a long one, and while everyone had brought things to do on the ride, Lavi soon plowed through his book and was getting bored. So, left to his own devices, he was starting to bother the other two to stay busy.

"So what're you doing?" Lavi asked, hovering over Allen and his piece of paper.

"Composing," Allen replied, staring at the blank page.

Lavi frowned. "But there's nothing there."

"That's because I'm still thinking it up."

"Lavi, leave him alone." Lenalee turned the page of her novel, some girly love story that only a girl could like, let alone understand.

"But I'm _bored_."

"We'll be at the next station soon, and then you can buy a new book while we wait for our next train," she suggested.

Lavi harumphed and sat back in his seat.

They reached the next station, just as Lenalee said, and Lavi was the first to dash off the train in search of something to do. Allen and Lenalee, meanwhile, waited on the platform for their next train. The next train came just as Lavi returned with an armful of various books and snacks, and they were on their way once again.

This time, the ride went much better. Lavi had enough things to do to keep him busy all the way to their destination. Once they arrived, it was difficult, but they managed to pry Lavi's nose out of his third book and off the train, where Cross and Nicolas were _supposed_ to be waiting for them.

Instead, they found next to no one on the open platform. Absolutely no one. Not even people to meet the other few who had gotten off the train at this particular stop. Even when the other people left, no one came for them.

"So now what?" Lavi asked, looking around the countryside. They really were in the middle of nowhere. The closest building was a farmhouse a few fields of vegetables away.

Lenalee, being the most prepared, pulled a map out of her pocket and unfolded it. "I suppose we can get to the town—what little of one there is." She pointed at the little symbol of a train. "We're right here. If we follow this road, we'll reach town, and then we can ask for directions."

Lavi frowned down at the chart. "That's upside down."

"No it's not!"

Before an argument ensued, Allen started down the street. Lenalee and Lavi looked at each other, then followed after, thinking that Allen might have gotten directions before he'd left for school that morning.

The truth was that no one had told him anything. He just remembered this road from when he used to live there. When he was little, he used to wait at the station every time Mana was supposed to come back. In fact, whenever his father said he'd come back, Allen would run to the little platform and stand there all day, even if Mana's train wasn't due for days, just to make sure he was there to meet Mana if he came back early.

They reached what could barely pass as a town square. A couple shops (mostly farming supply stores) and a few houses stood, but it was nothing like the big city they'd just come from. What made it worse was that the couple of people outside stopped and stared when they walked past the first store.

"Um... We're looking for Nicolas Walker's house. Do you know where that is?" Allen asked a nearby old woman in a rocker.

The old woman's eyes narrowed. "You ain't one of them newspaper people lookin' fer a story, are you?"

"No. I'm his nephew. Allen."

The old woman's eyes widened. She stood and limped off the porch with her cane into the sun. "Bless my stars! It really is you! I'd know that face anywhere." She reached up a gnarled hand and pinched Allen's cheek. "You've grown so much while you were gone. Oh, but look at you, you're still skinny as a twig! Cross ain't been feedin' you right, has he?"

"Grandma!"

The old woman spun around with cat like speed. A young woman about Allen's age stood in the doorway of what seemed to be the general store, hands on her hips. She walked down and asked, "She isn't bothering you, is she?"

"Not now," Lavi said. He hopped up on the porch and took the girl's hand. "Name's Lavi. What might yours be?"

The girl frowned at him. "Riza.**1** May I ask why you all are here?"

"It's little Allen come back for a visit," the old woman explained. "'Course, he'll have to see Mother and Barba**2** soon, too. Barba's been missin' you since you left."

Allen didn't remember who any of these people were, but he smiled and nodded, hoping that his amnesia wouldn't be too obvious. "So um... Where's Uncle's house again?"

Riza's frown deepened. "You don't remember?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's been a while since I've been home," he explained a little lamely.

"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "I don't think you're really who you claim to be. I bet you _are_ just another one of those people from the press come here to bother Mr. Walker again. I've never heard that story before, though. Not many people even know Mr. Walker has a nephew."

Lenalee stepped in between Allen and Riza. "But he is Mr. Walker's nephew."

"Then prove it," Riza said. "Prove you're him."

Allen swallowed hard. Of course it would come to this. Had she not shown up, he couldn't just gone to his uncle's house and not had to fail miserably like this. "I... uh..." He wracked his brain. "I—"

"There you are!"

Perfect timing. Nicolas ambled down the street with a bag full of snacks. "I was on my way to the platform and stopped for snacks. Did your train get here early?" He grinned. "Oh, I see you found Riza and Granny." He waved at them and almost dropped the snacks. Lenalee took the bag from him, just in case.

"I told you so," the old lady muttered to Riza. Riza harumphed in response.

Nicolas grinned at the woman and Riza. "Don't want to seem rude, but these three have been riding a train all day and need to drop off their things..."

"Oh, don't worry about us," the old woman said, grinning toothily. "We'll stop by later to say hi. Won't we, Riza?"

Allen's uncle nodded, took the bag from Lenalee, and led them down a country road. This road had a few more houses on it than the one leading from the train station, but they were much further apart than in the city.

"Sorry about being late," Nicolas said as they walked down the lane. "I was talking with Cross and lost track of time." He paused to open a gate and continued as he walked up the path, "I don't hear too much about the city, living all the way out here." As he talked, he opened the front door and let everyone inside.

Walking into the old farmhouse was like walking back in time. The old worn staircase, the creaky floorboards, the smells from the kitchen... And the old grand piano sitting in the sitting room. While the others followed Nicolas into the kitchen for refreshments after the long train ride, Allen went over to the piano and lifted the wooden covering over the keys.

The keys were still the same yellow-white color they'd been when Allen was younger. The ivory had long since been stained with use, not that his uncle minded. "Instruments are meant to be played," he always said, "not collect dust."

"Aren't you hungry?" Nicolas asked. Allen hadn't heard him come in.

He shook his head and continued staring at the piano.

Nicolas smiled and sat down on the worn piano bench. "You used to play this all the time when you were little," Nicolas said. He pushed down one of the keys, and a crystal clear A sounded. "You'd insist on playing for me and your father ever night, just to show us how good you were getting at it." He smiled and laughed as he added, "Neither of us had the heart to tell you that we were getting sick of 'Mary had a Little Lamb' and 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.'"

Allen smiled. He couldn't help it. He remembered his father and uncle trying to stifle the groans whenever he started playing the only two tunes he knew. That was probably the major reason Nicolas had sat down and taught him how to properly read music.

His uncle stood and nodded to the kitchen. "So, want some dinner?"

This time, Allen followed.

* * *

**1** For those who don't know, or remember, that's the name of the woman in the first chapter of the DGM reverse novels, or the hospital episode of the anime. Though her personality is a lot different from the one in the novel/anime.

**2** More characters from the same chapter/episode.

My apologies for the long time it took to update. Life got hectic with the holidays, then my word processor refused to work, and then school was mean to me. DX I hope to find more time to write, but there are no guarrentees. As always, point out my typos. I appreciate it.


	19. Not Long Enough

Nothing happened during their vacation. Well, Nicolas burnt some waffles and Allen started remembering more of his childhood in the old farmhouse, but that was it. Nothing of importance happened, but that didn't mean the group didn't have a good time. They'd gone down to the creak and splashed about, they got to ride some horses, and they got to hear Allen's uncle play a couple tunes he was working on. They even visited Mana's grave in the next town over. Allen had met a couple people in the town and managed to talk to them without sounding like an idiot with amnesia, with Nicolas's help. The group had a good time, but sadly all things good must come to an end sometime.

The day they had to go back came sooner than any of them would have liked. It wasn't a tearful goodbye as they waited on the platform for the train, but it certainly was a sad parting. Nicolas promised to visit his nephew, Cross said they'd call when they got back, Allen hugged his uncle before saying goodbye, and Lavi and Lenalee thanked his uncle for letting them stay.

A whistle blew and the awaited train slowed to a stop at the platform. There was a last round of goodbyes, and then Cross ushered them all onto the train. Allen watched the platform from the window until his was out of sight. When that happened, he fell back into his seat and stared absently at the passing scenery.

"Don't want to leave?" Lenalee asked, watching his face.

"No, not really."

"You could've stayed," Lavi commented. He hadn't dug his book out of his bag yet, so while he searched, he'd talk.

Allen smiled at them, hiding his melancholy. "But then I'd miss school and wouldn't see you guys anymore." Cross rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on his blatant lie.

The train ride took a while, but they reached the station by late afternoon, where a surprise was waiting for them. Komui, Bookman, Anita, Jazz, and a couple of their other friends were waiting for them on the platform with big signs welcoming them home. As soon as they were off the train, Komui attached himself to his sister, sobbing hysterically about how much he missed her. Bookman smacked Lavi on the head about leaving his bookshelf a mess. Anita embraced Cross and kissed him, making Allen avert his eyes. Jazz and the others were the only ones to be normal in their greeting and welcomed the teens back with smiles.

"So how was the trip?" Jazz asked.

"Good," was all Allen said.

That didn't seem to be enough for Jazz. "Where'd you go? The beach?"

"Visiting family."

"Oh?" That seemed to interest Jazz quite a bit. "What kind of family?"

"An uncle." Allen grabbed Cross's arm and pulled. "Come on. Let's go home."

"What's got his breeches in a bunch?" Lavi muttered.

Lenalee detached her brother. "Homesickness," she said knowingly. "He'll cheer up eventually." She grabbed her brother's hand. "See you tomorrow, Lavi." She waved with her free hand and dragged her brother out of the station.

* * *

School started up again the next day. Everyone greeted each other like break had never happened. Life was completely back to normal, except for Allen.

Allen doodled musical scores throughout classes, even in during History. He would've done it through math class, too, if it weren't for Bookman catching him, taking away his notebook, and sending Cloud Nine a warning before class. Needless to say, school ended for Allen with a trip to the principal's office to have a talk with Hevlaska, the school counselor.

"So why are you doodling in class?" she asked. Allen still wasn't used to their counselor not being human, and it must have shown on his face. "I'm not going to eat you. I just want to know what's wrong."

"Oh uh..." Allen wracked his brain for a good excuse. "My brain's still on vacation, I guess."

Hevlaska frowned, or Allen thought she did—it was hard to tell. "Walker, if there's a problem in class..."

"No. There's no problem."

"Then why?"

Allen was cornered. Hevlaska wasn't going to accept "my brain's on vacation" like his friends had. "I went to visit family over break, and I wish I could have stayed longer. That's all."

Though she still seemed concerned, Hevlaska had to let him go with a slap on the wrist. She warned him, though, that if he spaced out again like that, not only would he be in trouble, but his grades might suffer as well. That wasn't too bad, though.

What _was_ bad was that Cross was waiting in the office for him, talking to Komui as if they were the best of friends.

"So there you are!" Komui said brightly. "Come here, come here!"

Allen had no choice. The mad man _was_ the principal, after all.

"What's this I hear about you spacing out in class writing music? Are they master pieces? Hmm? Hmm?"

Cross rolled his eyes and put a hand firmly on Allen's shoulder. "Sir, you seem to be condoning his behavior." Since when did Cross care? Oh right, he always did. Allen was just too mentally scarred by other things to notice.

"Oh, right." Komui coughed and tried to sound serious, though his bubbly attitude shined through all the same. "Allen, we can't have you so obviously not paying attention in class. If you must not pay attention, do so in a less obvious manner." The look he received from Cross at this forced him to put all of his other jokes aside. "Anyway, please don't doodle in class. Remember that you're here on scholarship. If you fail even one class, your scholarship's in jeopardy, as is your status as an Exorcist here at the Academy."

Allen sighed. "Yes, sir."

Komui's face softened. "As long as you understand. Get the Spring Break disease out of your brain and be back to normal by tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Allen repeated.

As they left the school, Allen had to ask, "I'm in trouble, aren't I?" While he could hardly remember Cross being nice to him, he really couldn't think of any time Cross had been angry or cruel to him. He may have thought the man heartless, but that was all it was. There was nothing to back up the idea.

"Big trouble," Cross replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "Your uncle won't be happy to hear you've been goofing off in class."

Of course the general had to bring his uncle into this. "Can't we just not tell him?" Allen asked hopefully.

"He's hearing about this, and that's final."

Allen sighed. He was about to open his mouth for one final protest, but Cross beat him to it.

"Don't say it's unfair, Allen. You're the one who completely ignored your schoolwork to write music."

"I'm sure Uncle Nicolas did the same thing."

"That's not the point."

"Wait, so he _did_ do that?"

"Yes. And your father never stopped pestering him about it all the time. If your father were here now, you'd be hearing the same from him."

It was childish, but Allen pouted. Cross puffed on his cigarette for a minute in thought, and then said, "I won't tell your uncle _this time_. Do it again, though, and you're in _really_ big trouble."

Allen stared at Cross. He knew that the general wasn't as mean as he'd made him out to be, but this still seemed uncharacteristic of Cross. Then he smiled. "Thanks, General."

"You're not off the hook yet, kid," Cross replied. "You're grounded from the piano for the rest of the week. No exceptions."

Well, things could be worse, Allen decided, though Cross _had_ picked a rather cruel punishment. At least he didn't ban him from seeing his friends. He decided to accept the punishment. After all, he deserved it. Still, it would just be a _long_ week.

* * *

...I am _way_ out of practice on this fanfic. Sorry about not updating for a while. School ate up all my times. Again. Thanks for reading this exceptionally short chapter.


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